The Ties That Bind
by starryjules
Summary: She thought she was done with her father's lies, until a witness with Tali's face hurls herself into Ziva's arms and turns her world upside down. But the reunion may be short-lived as danger and family secrets lurk in the shadows. Whole team/case fic, NOW COMPLETE! I got FF to add Tali D. to the Character List because I think her stories deserve to be told too! :)
1. Chapter 1

**I should have started posting this ages ago. I already have 18K+ words written and the rest mapped out, and yet I have rewritten the first chapter no less than 5 times. I'm still not thrilled with it, but it's holding up the rest of the significantly better-written story, so here we go. **

**Set September/October 2010 (beginning of Season 8) and is canon to that point.**

**Disclaimer: as always, grammatical liberties and run-ons are mine, characters are not.**

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><p><em>How had she arrived at this point? Clutching a sobbing figure to her chest? Soft and long-since abandoned words of comfort flowed haltingly from a native tongue. After all, whom in her past would she have comforted? Whom had she ever loved enough? <em>

_Only one._

"But then, Arnie grabs the horse and -"

"Honestly Tony?" Ziva sighed, cutting him off as the elevator doors opened. "Are you going to drag us through that chase scene _every_ _SINGLE_ _time_ we have a case near Georgetown Park? It's worse than your fugitive speech!"

"Damn straight!" Tony grinned, throwing his bag behind his desk. "God I love that movie. And Jamie Lee in a sexy striptease..."

He broke off as a hand cuffed him swiftly across the back of the head.

"Contacting our deceased Staff Sergeant's CO, boss," Tony deadpanned, picking up the phone as the other two smirked at him. Gibbs had been in a foul mood since he went head-to-head with Metro Police at their crime scene. Of course, Detective Poletti was no match for one LeRoy Jethro Gibbs, and after an entertaining pissing match that had put Tony in his gleeful mood in the first place, the MCRT walked away with the evidence and the case.

"Ziva, take that down to whatever lab rat is filling in for Abby." She nodded, grabbing the two large buckets of evidence. "And make sure he knows what the hell he is doing before you leave him alone!"

"Boss, Abby personally chose this guy to cover for her while she's at the forensics conference. I am sure he is qualified to…" McGee's voice trailed off as Gibbs leveled a glare at him, Tony shaking his head warningly from his own desk.

McGee cleared his throat instead and tapped quickly at his keyboard, a picture of a handsome young man appearing on the plasma. "Staff Sergeant Tomas Zupan, age twenty-seven. On leave, following an eighteen month stint in Kosovo working as a translator. He was attached to the Army on a joint mission out of Camp Bonsteel."

"What's the mission?" Gibbs prompted after McGee paused for a few seconds too long, his brow furrowing at the repeated beeps emanating from the computer.

"Boss, I can't seem to access…"

"Why not?"

"Because his mission was classified," Tony chimed in, dropping his phone dramatically into its cradle. "CO wouldn't even talk to me. His secretary said Zupan's mission was 'need to know' and apparently we don't."

Gibbs took a sip of his coffee. "McGee, _de_classify it."

Tim grimaced but nodded, already madly typing. "It's going to take me a while, especially without Abby's help..." He trailed off as he sensed rather than saw another glare land on him. He began stammering in an attempt to be useful. "Right, working on it boss, but perhaps someone at Army CID would have more detail? Or maybe a good time to use one of Ziva's connections in Eastern Europe?"

Gibbs just stared at him for another second and then looked back to Tony.

"Uhhh," the grin fell from Tony's face as he grabbed the plasma remote from McGee's desk and began clicking through their crime scene photos. "Victim was stabbed around 0100 in an alley near Georgetown Park. Wounds to the chest and abdomen. Multiple blood samples and prints recovered at the scene but no murder weapon…"

Gibbs interrupted him. "What in the hell was _Detective_ _Poletti_ screeching about? There was a witness that's MIA?"

Tony nodded, taking the impatience in stride even though he had been three seconds away from sharing that very information. "One witness, female, ran from the scene and somehow ended up at Metro's Station. They weren't very clear how that happened, but she is en route to NCIS."

"No," came a tentative and gently accented voice behind them. "I am here."

Gibbs and Tony turned to the newcomer and fell silent. The only indication of Gibbs' surprise was a slight narrowing of the eyes as he studied the young woman before them. Tony was less subtle, outright gaping as he smacked McGee several times in the arm. Tim yelped, glaring up, but his retort died on dry lips as he too saw their witness.

She was young - not more than twenty-three - and seemed petite and fragile. And yet, she was strikingly familiar: the same wavy hair, but a few shades lighter and distinctly disheveled at the moment. The wide and frightened eyes too were recognizable in their graceful shape, but the irises under thick dark lashes were hazel instead of their familiar brown.

Gibbs was the first to speak, even as the other two men tried to make sense of this apparition. After all, a man was dead, and they needed their answers. "I'm Special Agent Gibbs," he said quietly, nodding to the NCIS escort and holding a hand out to the girl. "You're our witness?"

She nodded, moving cautiously towards them and accepted the handshake. "Natalia Argandoña. Metro Police brought me here and told me to ask for you," she whispered, her voice wavering and tears springing to the too-familiar eyes as her gaze flicked to the plasma. Tony broke from his reverie, fumbling with the clicker so that the graphic pictures of a dead Zupan disappeared from view.

"Please, sit," Gibbs said, pulling his chair around beside McGee's desk. Natalia sank into it, still staring up at the now-blank screen where the disturbing image had been.

"He was so brave…" She whispered, wiping quickly at her eyes.

"DiNozzo, get us some water," Gibbs said quietly, but she shook her head and took a deep breath.

"No...no I have wasted enough time already while Tomas' killers go free. I'm fine." Her stubbornness, too, was eerily familiar.

Gibbs nodded. "Okay. Why don't you start with you relationship with Staff Sergeant Zupan."

Natalia swallowed hard, her bottom lip wavering but her eyes resolute. "He's my friend, my good friend. I met him about five years ago when I began my studies at Cambridge. I hadn't seen him in so long...I was just finishing up a summer program at NYU and Tomas emailed to say he was in DC. I took the train down last night, and we had dinner."

"Where and what time?" Gibbs prompted gently.

"Clydes. At...at about nine. We left around eleven I think and went to a few bars. He was walking me back to my hotel when two men approached us as we were cutting through an alley. They...they had knives. I thought they were just robbers, but it seemed like they knew Tomas. I couldn't understand though, they were all talking in another language I didn't recognize."

"Any guesses?" Tony prodded from his spot leaning against McGee's desk.

She shook her head. "I mean, Tomas spoke over a dozen languages...I guess it sounded a bit like Russian but not quite so...guttural?"

Tony nodded for her to continue.

"Tomas sounded like he was pleading for something, he kept repeating the same phrases over and over. But the men just laughed and sneered and then looked at me." She took a deep shuddering breath, staring down at her hands in her lap before continuing.

"Tomas lunged at them suddenly and yelled at me to run. He tried; he tried so hard to give me time to escape. I...I made it to the end of the alley and risked a glance over my shoulder. He was...on the ground and the men were running after me."

Her lip trembled constantly now as she struggled to finish the story. "I was yelling for help but there were hardly any people on the streets and the men were so fast. I somehow made it down to the Metro and squeezed on a train just as it was leaving. When I was sure the men weren't following me, I called the police. They sent two officers to meet me at the next stop and took me to the station. I started to give them my statement, but then someone said that the case wasn't in their jurisdiction, I guess? It took a few hours to sort out what was going on, and then they brought me here…"

"Miss Argandoña, do you remember their faces well enough to help us come up with a couple sketches?" Gibbs asked quietly.

She gave a shaky nod. "I...I think so? I can try….for Tomas…"

Gibbs smiled reassuringly. "Why don't you take a few minutes to splash some water on your face and then we'll take you down to our lab. McGee will escort you…"

"Thank you Agent Gibbs."

Tony watched them walk toward the restrooms and waited until they were out of earshot before turning to Gibbs.

"Wow...I mean, wow! Am I right?"

"Something on your mind, DiNozzo," Gibbs said gruffly, sitting at his computer and smacking the screen awake.

Tony sat down on the corner of the Gibbs' desk and gave him an incredulous look. "Oh c'mon boss! You can't tell me that you didn't see the similarities! It's eerie! I wonder if she's a distant cousin twice removed or something I'll have to ask…" His voice trailed off as he took in Gibbs' expression. "Of course, not _now_. Now I am going to arrange a safe house and protection for Miss Argandoña…"

"Ya _think_, Tony? And call down to the lab and see what the hell happened to Ziva…"

"No need, I am here," Ziva interrupted, returning to the bullpen with a sigh. "Stephen is only _half_ as incompetent as you expect him to be Gibbs. He is certainly no Abby. But he has been warned under loss of limb not to make any mistakes...What do you need me to do?"

"Files on our Staff Sergeant are classified. Make some inquiries and see if you come across any information on a joint Army/Navy mission out of Camp Bonsteel."

Ziva smirked and nodded, "I will brush up on my Albanian, then."

She had yet to sit at her desk when a quiet gasp caught their collective attention.

"Ziva?"

Ziva froze at the sound of her name, turning to stare at the end of the bullpen. McGee had returned with Natalia, who took a hard step back into Tim, a hand flying up to cover her mouth.

"Ziva," she choked out with a sob. Tony felt the urge to yell at McGee to hold onto the petite girl - she looked ready to pass out.

Ziva was shaking her head slowly, a hand reaching out to the desk as if to steady her. "Who sent you here?" She whispered accusingly.

Natalia took a step away from McGee towards Ziva, fresh tears already spilling from red eyes. "Zizi, it's me," she said slowly, moving towards the wary agent.

Ziva took a hard step back as if she had been burned just from this young woman's words. "No," she whispered, horror and anger in her voice. "No, this is some sick joke..."

"It is no joke. It's me, it's Tali…"

"My sister died seven years ago in Israel!" Ziva spat at the stranger, her hands balling into fists.

Natalia gave another strangled sob. "No…No, I thought _you_ were dead."

Ziva's expression was quickly turning wild now with disbelief and anguish. She shook her head slowly, not absorbing anything this stranger said. The three men stood rooted and silent, still trying to process the impossible scene playing out before them.

"When I was little," Natalia said softly, desperately, through her tears, "You would sing me to sleep every night. The song about the ponies. But I always fell asleep before you finished, so I would make you sing it again in the morning so I could hear it all."

Ziva's eyes widened and somehow grew even angrier. "Who told you these things!" She demanded loudly, taking an aggressive step forward.

Natalia paused for a moment, her brow crinkling in focus and frustration. When she took another step towards Ziva, she was speaking so softly that the others had to lean in to make out her words. "When Ima died, you found me in her closet, crying into her favorite blue cashmere sweater. You held me until we heard Abba coming and you told me to be brave now for him."

A sob bubbled up Ziva's throat of its own volition. "Oh my God," she whispered through the hand that flew to her mouth. "How...?" Ziva took a hesitant step around her desk and the younger girl ran the last few steps and threw herself into Ziva's arms. Natalia was sobbing in earnest now as Ziva stroked her hair and rocked her gently back and forth, tears trickling down her own cheeks from confused and crazed eyes.

"It is okay now, metuka sheli. All will be okay..."

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><p><strong>Ok, before you roll your eyes at the soap opera-esque, back from the dead drama, I ask that you give me one more chapter. I have - what I consider to be - a pretty legit backstory that will feel very in character with the canon we all know and love.<strong>

**Now that's said for the doubters. I for one love drama, and there will be a lot more coming...with a nice case-fic woven in as well! So please leave a note and check back soon. Thanks much!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all of the alerts, I'm glad to see there is interest! If you haven't read my story "Sins of the Father," now would be a good time to check it out (go ahead, we'll wait…). It's not absolutely necessary, but it's short and will give you the background of the Ziva/Eli relationship as it stands since this is set before Enemies Foreign/Domestic.**

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><p>"<em>It is okay now, metuka sheli. All will be okay."<em>

Nobody in the bullpen moved for over a minute. They were all too afraid to jar this strange and surreal moment; any disturbance ran the risk that the apparition of this woman - of Ziva's _sister_ - may vanish like a mirage in the desert. Gibbs and Tim exchanged a long look, silently seeking answers from one another that neither had. Tony's eyes, however, were focused on the tracks of tears that ran down Ziva's cheeks as she murmured foreign words. Whatever she was saying was repetitive, and he sensed it was spoken for the comfort of both women.

Gibbs was the first to risk breaking the silence, taking a tentative step towards them. "Ziver, why don't you two go to the conference room," he suggested quietly, placing a hand to Ziva's back. She nodded, following Gibbs but keeping a protective arm wrapped around the shoulders of the shaking and red-eyed girl.

Tony and Tim stared after them, mouths gaping. "What the hell…" Tim murmured after a long moment, his voice distant. Tony unfroze suddenly, grabbing McGee by the back of the shirt collar and dragging him unceremoniously towards his desk.

"Hey!" He yelled indignantly. "Knock it off!"

Tony pushed Tim into his chair and pointed to the screen. "Full background on Natalia Argandoña, RIGHT now Probie," he growled. McGee stared at him, eyes narrowing.

"You don't believe her?"

Tony scrubbed a hand over his face and tried to sort through the jumble that was his thoughts.

"I want to be damn sure that no one is screwing with Ziva."

"Tony…you noticed the second she walked in, same as me and same as Gibbs. She looks so much like Ziva it's uncanny…"

Tony glared at him, getting in his face. "Do it now McGee," he said through gritted teeth, storming back over to his desk. Gibbs came thundering back into sight a moment later, his movements stiff and agitated.

"McGee!" He bellowed. "I want everything…"

"I can find on Natalia Argandoña," McGee finished. "Tony has already set me on it boss."

Gibbs and Tony exchanged a long, hard look that conveyed they were both on the same page. Ziva would not recover if this turned out to be some kind of ruse.

"Didn't Ziva ever see her sister's body after she was supposedly killed?" Gibbs questioned the room at large.

"No," Tony supplied from his desk. "She was on assignment with Ari in Morocco when her father called with the news…" He trailed off as he met Gibbs' stare again. "Eli…do you want me to call and try to…?"

Gibbs shook his head. "That's a call Ziva will want to make. Let's see what we can find on our own."

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><p>For an immeasurable space of time, speaking remained impossible as the two women simple held on to each other. Ziva managed to reign in her own emotions long before Talia had a handle on hers.<p>

"How are you alive Zizi?" Talia finally asked, pulling away from her sister's embrace.

Ziva raised an eyebrow, wiping a hand across Talia's wet cheeks. "I was about to ask you the same question! Eli told me that you died in a bombing in Israel."

Talia's brow furrowed and she cocked her head to the side in a way so familiar that Ziva had to choke back another wave of memories. She spoke slowly, her eyes unfocused as she recalled the painfully clear memory.

"I was reading outside a cafe in Jaffa when a bomb went off. I woke up in a private hospital five days later, badly injured but alive. I asked for you; I cried and asked papa why he didn't bring you home for me. He…he told me that you and Ari were killed in Morocco," she sniffled, and Ziva felt a knot tighten in her stomach.

"Abba said that his enemies were targeting his children – that they set the bomb to kill me and I survived only by luck... but you and Ari were not so lucky. I cried Ziva…I cried for days and days," she broke off, and Ziva squeezed her hand tightly. "He told me that I was not safe; that I would never be as long as I was the daughter of Deputy Director David. He told me that the only way to keep me safe was for me to leave Israel and my past forever. He set up my new identity as Natalia Argandoña and sent me to boarding school in London. He has not contacted me once in all these years. He gave up his last child to protect me…or so I thought…" Her brow crinkled again, and she looked troubled, as if a new thought had occurred to her. "Does...does papa know that you're alive? What about Ari?"

Ziva swallowed hard. There were countless implications racing through her mind at her sister's words. And she needed more time and a calmer head to sort through it all. She sighed and struggled to provide at least a simple answer to the questions posed to her. "He never thought Ari and I were dead. We finished our mission in Morocco and returned only to find our beloved sister murdered and already buried."

She closed her eyes, fighting the storm of emotions once more. "I do not know what is going on here, Tali," she said softly, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her sister's ear. "But I do know that we will figure it out together…"

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><p>When Tony entered the room half an hour later, she was leaning against the conference table; the weight of the world obviously resting on her shoulders. Tali had gone a second time that afternoon to splash water on her face, and Tony took the opportunity to check on his partner.<p>

"Hey," he said softly. Convention would dictate that he ask how she was doing, but their partnership was anything but conventional. Besides, the tension radiating through her shoulders clearly told him she was a hairsbreadth from losing it.

Ziva must have sensed his musings. "I am fine, Tony," she said stubbornly. She was staring intently at one of the leather chairs on the far side of the table, and Tony had to wonder whom or what she was seeing there. She took a deep breath then, rocking gently back and forth as if she wasn't quite sure of her next move. Finally she stood up straight, digging her cell phone from her pocket. "Or at least I will be once I get my answers."

Tony cleared his throat as she punched angrily at the buttons and then held out the folder in his hands. "Here's everything we could find on Natalia Argandoña. Chilean, injured in a car crash when she was sixteen that killed her wealthy parents. Sent to boarding school in London. The cover is nearly impeccable, but McGee was able to ferret out a few inconsistencies in her records that indicate she's telling you the truth."

Ziva paused in her dialing to stare up at him. "You ran the background already?" She asked, her surprised expression giving no indication if she was appreciative or furious.

Tony bobbed his head once. "I mean, I know you would obviously _know _if she was lying or something, but we figured you would want all the info as soon as possible…" he offered awkwardly.

The indecipherable expression softened as her eyes warmed and a ghost of a smile flashed on her lips. She patted his cheek, twice. "You are a good partner Tony," she whispered before bringing the cellphone up to her ear.

The phone rang several times before someone answered.

"It's me," Ziva said simply in Hebrew, listening to a loud cough on the other end of the line.

"Ziva? What is wrong? Why are you calling me at three in the…"

"Tali," Ziva said simply, listening carefully for any changes in his breathing.

"What about Talia?" Eli asked, his voice steady. Had she not been trained by the best – by Eli himself – she would not have noticed the cautious undertone. "You are missing your sister?"

"I have missed Tali for seven years," Ziva said coldly, trying desperately to control her voice. "But not anymore, for she is in this very building!"

There was complete silence on the other end of the line. She could almost hear the wheels turning in his head as he quickly scanned for a way to maintain the lie. When none was found, she heard him heave himself out of bed and give a little bitter chuckle.

"How in the world did you find her?" He asked; mildly curious. Her blood boiled over instantly, rage pounding a fast tempo in her ears. She had not really expected an apology or contrition, but it stung nonetheless to have him carry on as if he had told harmless lie.

"THAT IS ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY!" She screamed into the phone. Tony grimaced, understanding the tone if not the language. He turned to look out the window, not wanting to feel like he was eavesdropping, but also not willing to leave her alone right now.

"Ziva, Tali was still an innocent and naive child. She was not cut from the same cloth as you and Ari," he said in a maddeningly calm and patronizing voice. Ziva bit back the retort that sprung to her lips that she and her brother were molded into killers by _him_. "After the bombing nearly killed her, it seemed sensible to remove her from the violence," he continued to explain matter-of-factly.

Even in her near blinding rage, the analytical part of Ziva had to acquiesce to that logic. She had spent countless dark hours over the years wondering why they had not done more to shield her - the youngest and most innocent among them - from the violence that consumed their family. But she would not let him rationalize the entire lie based on this one grain of truth. There was another side to the story that Eli would still have to explain; the true reason for her nearly uncontrollable anger.

"But why did you lie to us? You don't think we would have agreed to protect her by letting her go? It would have been better than believing she had died so horrifically!" Ziva countered. Abrupt silence greeted her, and for the space of just a few small seconds, she heard the truth in her father pause.

The truth. It rose within her, slowly at first, but with the building inevitability of an avalanche. She griped tightly at the chair in front of her and struggled to take a deep breath. "It was not just about Tali…" Ziva whispered, choking on the words. "You told me… my sister…was dead to make me a better soldier: focused, bloodthirsty. You TOLD me to continue in the fight that had claimed the life of the person I loved most in the WORLD!"

Her voice, like the torrent of emotions inside of her, was rising as she screamed into the phone. She could so clearly picture her father's face the first time she had seen him after Tali's supposed death. She could hear his words as he stoked the fire and anger and pain within her until she threw herself back into Kidon training with unrivaled focus and blind determination.

"I did what I had to do," Eli said, his voice suddenly cold and hard. She really shouldn't have expected him to further justify his actions; in Eli's mind, he was always above reproach. "I make no apologies for the lives we protected Ziva, including -"

The call cut off abruptly and Ziva was suddenly staring down at the phone with no conscious memory of snapping it closed. She tried to stop the short and desperate gasps that were emanating from her, but something was clawing up her throat. She let out a scream of fury, pulling her arm back and hurling the phone across the room. It smashed into the wall, cracking loudly, and fell to the floor in pieces. That felt good. So she pushed the chair out of her way, picking up a water glass from the table and repeated the action.

Tony's arms were around her from behind before the tinkling of shattering glass stopped. "Ziva," he whispered into her ear. She struggled against him, elbowing him in the gut but he held his grip. She turned towards him, and Tony knew that he would be down on the ground in a second flat, but he still refused to let go. She glared up into his eyes and he braced for the coming takedown, but instead she crumpled against him and let out another sob.

Tony wrapped his arms tighter around her while silently cursing Eli David to the deepest circle of hell. He pressed his lips to the top of her head and heard her repeating the same words.

"My fault. All my fault."

"Zizi!" Tali's voice called worriedly as she reentered the room with McGee and Gibbs trailing behind. Ziva pulled back abruptly from Tony's arms, taking a deep breath as Talia's hand came up to touch her cheek. Tony recognized that Ziva wasn't nearly done with her breakdown, but she was already dragging her brave mask back into place in light of her sister's worried face.

"What happened?"

"It is too much for today, sheli," Ziva said hoarsely, shaking her head. "I am sorry, there are countless more things to say and do and ask…but not right now…"

"Okay," Talia nodded, though still obviously concerned. "I have my sister back; for that alone I'm grateful."

Ziva gave her a small smile, kissing her forehead. "You look exhausted. You will stay with me, of course…"

"Talia," Gibbs interjected quietly. "After all that's happened, we can't forget that you witnessed a murder..."

Talia's eyes grew wide as she gasped. "I'm a horrible person! I all but forgot about poor Tomas."

"Understandable," Gibbs offered with a gentle smile. "But even so, until we catch the men responsible, you need protection. One of the four of us will be with you at all times. Ziver, why don't you and Tony take her by the hotel to get her things."

Ziva nodded once. "Thank you Gibbs."

Gibbs tossed the car keys to Tony, but Ziva intercepted them midair. Even Talia looked concerned.

"I certainly hope the years have made you a better driver," she joked, and Ziva laughed, genuinely.

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><p>"She looks like you," Tony whispered, taking a long sip of his coffee.<p>

"She is the best of me in beauty and spirit." Ziva smiled softly, gazing into the living room at the sleeping form. They had spoken more upon arriving home and well into the night, but they were simple and easy questions, and Talia did most of the talking. Where was she going to school? (Just finished a summer program at NYU) What was she studying? (literature and publishing) Ziva had masterfully steered the conversation and deflected any difficult questions with the skill of a trained investigator. Despite her ordeal the night before and the sheer emotional exhaustion of the day, it was after ten before Talia finally succumbed to sleep mid-sentence.

Tony pushed a reheated cup of jasmine tea into Ziva's hands and steered her back into the kitchen.

"So what now?" Tony asked, watching her face carefully as she sank into a chair, legs folding beneath her. Her brow furrowed and she frowned slightly.

"I do not know Tony. I have never felt so overwhelmed and out of control in my entire life. How do I explain everything to her? She is still so optimistic and naïve. I am relieved to find her so…so unchanged after all these years. But what about me? How do I tell her the monsters that her family became?"

"You're no monster, Ziva," Tony corrected firmly, leaning forward. His hand twitched out from his cup and resting on the table a few inches from hers.

"The horrible things I have done and seen then," she shrugged, as if this were the same thing. "And what of Eli and Ari? How do I even _begin_ to explain that to her…"

Tony sighed, looking down as he tapped his index finger gently on the back of her hand. "You'll figure out a way, Ziva, you always do, and you don't have to go it alone. We're here to help you. Besides, at the end of the day, your sister is alive and sleeping in the other room."

Ziva smiled at him again and nodded. "Toda, Tony."

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><p><strong>I recognize Ziva is a little OOC in her emotions here, but that is intentional. I believe a fair chunk of Ziva's emotional distance came on the heels of Talia's death, so I'm enjoying the opportunity to explore how this would throw her for a loop. <strong>

**Also, if you are curious at all how I see Talia in my head, type "Lily Collins" into google images and check out the picture of the actress in the gilded chair and the one with tousled hair looking over her left shoulder. For whatever reason, I see a little Ziva in her.**

**Thanks as always for reading and please leave a note!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Apologies for the delay; I tend to get tunnel vision when a new idea comes along, and that damn Bucket List has pushed me into my longest writing frenzy to date. But I'm setting it aside for the night and returning to my other baby. I hope you enjoy!**

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><p>"Miss Arga…I mean Miss David…errr..." McGee stammered, blushing as his mouth twisted uncomfortably.<p>

"Just call me Tali or Talia. It was the one thing I insisted upon when Abba created my new identity - that he find a way for me to keep my name," she said smiling up at him from the kitchen table.

McGee returned it. "Okay then, Tali. We have our forensics scientist coming by any minute with a laptop to try and work on the composites of the two men who attacked Staff Sergeant Zupan."

"Abby?" Ziva asked, coming into the room after her shower. She had tried to stay up throughout the night with Tony, watching vigilantly out the window, but the day's toll had simply been too much. She drifted into a fitful sleep on the love seat, waking at every sound and sitting up to check that the sleeping figure on the other couch hadn't just been a bittersweet dream. At least the hot water had helped chase away some of the weariness, both mental and physical, that permeated her body.

McGee nodded. "Yeaaah, we were just going to send a sketch artist but Abby…"

"Wanted to come herself, I can imagine," Ziva snickered, pouring a steaming cup of strong black tea and sitting beside Gibbs at the table.

"Talia did Tomas ever talk about his work in Kosovo?" Gibbs asked.

She shook her head, looking slightly surprised. "No. I just knew he worked as a translator. In fact, last I heard he was stationed in Rota. I had no idea he was even _in_ Kosovo."

"Did he seem concerned or afraid of anything?"

"No-o. Definitely not. He actually seemed relieved; he said he'd just finished a long and arduous project. And he was so excited that we were both stateside. We hadn't seen each other in over two years..." He voice trailed off sadly.

"Okay," Gibbs nodded, draining the last dregs of his coffee and setting the cup in the sink. "McGee, stay here and help Abby and then head back to the Navy Yard with her."

"What do you need me to do, Gibbs?" Ziva asked, standing up quickly. "I can run a check on…"

Gibbs pushed her gently back down into the chair. "Until we figure out what's going on, I want Talia to stay here. And right now, you need to be where your sister is, Ziver," he said quietly, squeezing her shoulder once. She looked ready to protest but he silenced her with a look.

"Thank you," Ziva acquiesced, nodding with a small smile.

Tali watched him go and arched an inquisitive eyebrow. "Ziver? An intimate nickname for a boss to give, yes?"

Ziva rolled her eyes as McGee choked on his coffee. "He is like a father to me, Talia!"

Her sister frowned at this and Ziva had to think for a moment before kicking herself for the choice of words. She could sense another round of questions were about to begin.

"McGee, could we…" she started and Tim nodded quickly.

"I'll just go wait in the hall for Abby," he offered, leaving the two women alone.

Ziva took a deep breath, closing her eyes and spinning her teacup between her palms. "Okay, ask," she sighed.

"I don't even know where to begin…you say Gibbs is like a father and yet talk about our papa like he is dead to you. You flew into a rage after talking to him yesterday. Your eyes cloud over every time I mention Ari's name, and all you would tell me last night is that he died years ago. Now I did not press it because you seemed hesitant to talk, but please Ziva tell me something! How did you even end up at NCIS?"

"As a liaison officer," Ziva offered quickly, latching on to the simplest answer to all of those impossible questions. "I worked with an NCIS agent, who later became the Director. She wanted me to learn from Gibbs, and so I came here as a Mossad liaison about five years ago."

Tali nodded, seemingly satisfied with finally getting an answer to _something_. "Ok, well that explains why you are working here…"

Ziva briefly considered letting it go at that, but she knew the truth would come out sooner than later. "It's…it's not why I'm still here. I became an American citizen this summer and am now a probationary NCIS agent."

Tali's mouth fell open. "Ziva…you...Why would you leave your homeland behind?"

Ziva hedged, "My loyalties are here for many reasons. DC has become my home..." She trailed off, for they were rapidly moving into dangerous territory. She was interrupted, however, by the sounds of a scuffle outside the door. She rose quickly, her knife already in her hands, but she heard McGee's voice a second later.

"Abby, you can't just barge in without knocking…" he said breathlessly, and Ziva could picture him trying to body block an overanxious Abby.

"Oh fine, McGee...Zeeevah, it's me! Can I come in?" Came Abby's voice along with a zealous rapping on the door. Ziva closed her eyes, not sure if she was grateful or annoyed for the interruption.

"We will talk later, okay?" She said, and Tali gave her a stubborn, impatient look that she remembered so well on her young sister's face.

She went to the door, taking a deep breath and preparing herself for what was sure to be high drama. Abby did not disappoint. She pushed her way in, throwing her arms around Ziva's neck as soon as she turned the knob.

"Oh my God, oh my God! I can't believe I was away at a conference and missed everything yesterday! How are you? Are you okay? Of course you're not okay, how could you be okay after your long lost dead sister appears suddenly in the bullpen. I got on a train as soon as McGee called and wanted to come over last night but Gibbs told me I'd have to wait until…" She broke off, her gaze sweeping the room and landing on Talia. Talia studied her in return, taking in the high pigtails and spiked jangling boots with a mixture of trepidation and fascination. Abby released her stranglehold on Ziva - for which the latter was eternally grateful - and took a few quick steps forward.

"Oh you're her! I could tell from looks alone that you two are sisters. I'm sorry, I'm being rude…I'm Abby Sciuto, forensic scientist and Ziva's friend. Do you prefer Tali or Talia or Natalia? I should just shake your hand, but I'm going to hug you because…well because you're Ziva's beloved sister back from the dead!" She said all of this is one breath as she reached forward, pulling Talia into a big hug.

She laughed, surprised, but returned it warmly. "You can call me Tali. I am very glad to meet you as well Abby!"

"Let the girl breathe, Abs!" A rather harassed and annoyed-looking McGee called, pushing away from the front door as Ziva closed and locked it again.

Ignoring Tim completely, Abby pulled back from the hug to place her hands on Talia's shoulders and grinned like a cheshire cat. "Ohhh the stories you must have on Ziva!"

"Gibbs wants sketches Abby, and you know he does not like to wait." Ziva said warningly, arching an eyebrow.

Abby crinkled her nose and pouted. "Ohhhh fine, I guess we've got plenty of time later for stories! C'mon Timmy, Gibbs says you get to help!" Abby hooked arms with Tali, walking with her back to the kitchen and chattering away as she pulled out her laptop. McGee followed after a few seconds, grumbling under his breath. Someone knocked again and Ziva groaned, letting her forehead fall against the wall; it was going to be a long day.

She was surprised to see Tony's face when she opened the door and glanced at the clock. "Why aren't you home sleeping? You only left here a few hours ago…"

He just shrugged. "I got a couple of winks, that's all I need. I stopped by your favorite bakery for some _patisseries_." He held up a bag and the smell of almond and cinnamon wafted temptingly through the air.

"Mmmm, you are being very thoughtful," she said, inhaling deeply, then shook her head when she realized how incredulous she sounded. "I do not mean to imply that you normally are not…"

He flashed her a quick grin. "I have my moments…"

"Tony!" Abby waved from the kitchen. He looked momentarily annoyed, like he wanted to say something more, but it passed quickly.

"I brought treats!" He called out, sauntering towards the kitchen.

* * *

><p>"You wanted to see me Director?"<p>

Vance glanced up from his morning reports as Gibbs came in without knocking, closing the door behind him. Leon leaned back in his chair. "When exactly were you planning on telling me that the witness in your murder case is Ziva's dead sister?"

Gibbs shrugged, sitting across from his desk. "Now."

"Her story check out? It seems unlikely that…"

"It's her," Gibbs cut in. "Eli himself confirmed it."

Vance gave a hard chuckle and shook his head in disbelief. "Guess I've always underestimated what that man is capable of…"

Gibbs' eyes narrowed and iced over and Vance acquiesced, "I know _you_ haven't. But we'll deal with all that later. You still have a case to solve. Can this girl give us anything on the killers?"

"She's working with Abby now on the composites. But we're getting stonewalled by Staff Sergeant Zupan's CO. His mission in Kosovo is classified above my pay grade and we need access to those files."

Vance raised an eyebrow. "Normally you would have had McGee access whatever information you need. Why the sudden deference for protocol?"

"Well, kind of a lot going on right now, Leon," Gibbs said sarcastically. "Besides, my gut's telling me to go by the book on this one."

Vance smirked but nodded. "I'll make a call." Gibbs tilted his head in acknowledgement and rose to leave, but Vance wasn't done yet. "Gibbs? David gonna be able to handle this or do I need to temporarily assign another agent to your team?"

Gibbs gave a short laugh, "You think you're pulling Ziva off this case, you get to tell her personally. She's a pro, Director. She'll be fine."

He left then before Vance could see the the doubt and worry brewing in steely eyes.

* * *

><p>It was nearly impossible to keep Abby focused on the task at hand, but after two hours and a good deal of chiding from the other three, she sat back and examined their handiwork. McGee had gone downstairs to issue the BOLOs while the chatty goth lingered behind.<p>

"You were amazing with the details on the suspects, Tali! Promise you're not some secret Interpol agent or MI-6 or something?"

Tali laughed, "No, definitely not! But I want to be an editor and that's all about noticing the little things I guess."

"You and your books. You used to run into furniture because you always had your nose in some dusty old novel," Ziva teased, but she was immensely glad that Talia was going to make a career out of something she loved.

"Hey! You and McGee should talk more, he's an author!" Abby said suddenly, snapping her laptop closed. "You ever read Deep Six...the adventures of LJ Tibbs?"

"Yes!" Tali said surprised. "Of course, I knew Agent McGee looked familiar! I love spy thrillers and his is quite good!"

Abby nodded, "Yep! And guess who Lisa is based on?"

Tali's brow furrowed slightly. "Lisa? The beautiful but emotionally scarred assassin spy?"

Ziva glared at Abby, who pursed her lips and looked to Tony for help, but he just blanched at her. "Errr, right, gotta get back to the boss man! Ziva, we're ordering pizza and throwing a little reunion slash back-from-the-dead celebration tonight though, 'kay?" She hurried to the door with a quick little wave before Ziva had time to argue the impromptu arrangements.

"She really needs to work on her boundary issues," Ziva grumbled, rubbing a hand over her face.

"Zizi, what did she mean..." Tali started, but Ziva pushed away from the counter, worrying her lower lip as she looked quickly around the kitchen.

"Since there's no stopping Abby once she's set on an idea, I should run to the store... Tony, would you mind staying for a bit?"

Tony took a long moment but finally gave her a simple nod. Ziva kissed the top of Tali's head and whispered a quick, "I will be back soon."

Tali turned on him as soon as the door clicked closed. "Tony, why won't she tell me anything?"

"Ohhh no," he said warily, escaping to the living room. "You're going to have to ask her…"

Tali followed, crossing her arms, and cut him off with a very Ziva-esque glare. "You obviously know my sister well…how well I am still figuring out," she said pensively, giving him a quick once over. "But you know a lot more about her life now than she will tell me. What's happened to her? She says she has forsaken our homeland to be here with those who _feel_ like family. She is so haunted by any mention of our father or brother. I need to know what made her like this!"

Tony paused, knowing Ziva would kill him for disclosing anything. But neither could he deny the probing eyes, so like Ziva's, which implored him now.

"She has been through a lot, Talia. More than you can ever, possibly imagine. She has been betrayed and hurt by everyone who was supposed to love and protect her, including Ari, Eli, and even me," Tali raised an eyebrow at this, but Tony pushed on. "I can't even begin to tell you what she's suffered. And it's not my place to. But it's been more than enough to break a lesser person."

Tears sprang to Talia's eyes now, and Tony paused. He pondered the enormous differences beneath the sisters' shared mannerisms and exotic good looks. Talia wore her heart on her sleeve and her emotions on her face for the world to see. He had witnessed a more dramatic range of emotions from her in the past twenty-four hours than the last five years as Ziva's partner. He found himself wondering if Ziva had always been that way or if she had shut down after Talia's supposed death; he had to imagine it was a little bit of both.

"But she is happy now, right?" Talia whispered, shaking him from his musings.

Tony contemplated that for a long minute. "She is…happy to be somewhere safe and settled. That much she admits. And I think she is happier than I've ever seen her to find you alive. But, look, I doubt I need to tell you that Ziva is stubborn; I get the feeling that's not a newly acquired trait." Talia gave him a small smirk and he knew she understood. "So, give her some time. You have to let her tell you the rest on her own terms Tali."

Talia sighed but nodded. "Thank you Tony. I am thankful that she has someone like you to watch out for her."

He smiled at that. "That's what partners are for."

* * *

><p>"Nice to finally speak to you Major Jackson," Gibbs said sardonically, staring up at the feed of Staff Sergeant Zupan's Commanding Officer.<p>

"I'm sorry to hear about Tomas; he was a damn fine man. Do you know what happened yet Agent Gibbs?"

"Hoping you can help us with that. We're having a hard time accessing the details of his assignment in Kosovo."

"Worked as a translator, Camp Bonsteel."

Gibbs' glare was poorly suppressed. "We're aware of that. But I highly doubt the Staff Sergeant was targeted by two Eastern European thugs because he's mistranslating Army work orders…"

"Sorry boss, just got back," McGee huffed quietly, hurrying into MTAC and standing beside Gibbs.

"You got the sketches?"

"Yeah…" McGee nodded to one of the techs, who loaded the two composites side-by-side onto the screen.

"You seeing this Major Jackson?" Gibbs asked, watching the man's face carefully for any reaction.

The Major looked resigned as he heaved a sigh. "Man on the right is Petar Stankic, not sure who the other one is. But I know who they worked for…we have a problem, Agent Gibbs.

"We have a dead Marine, Major," Gibbs prodded. "I'd say that alone constitutes a problem. Feel like reading us in now?"

Major Jackson studied him for another minute before he began speaking again. "In 2008, UNMIK started scaling back its presence in Kosovo. Left a real power vacuum that the Kosovar government has struggled to fill. One particularly persistent gang that emerged was Nula Osam, lead by Luka Crncevic. He was a real...people person. Terrorists, gun runners, drug traffickers. He was well connected and controlled some of the most desirable routes throughout Eastern Europe."

"Was?" Gibbs caught the inflection.

The Major nodded. "Bonsteel was assisting the local government in trying to shut down Crncevic but he always had a jump on them. Became clear that he had someone on the inside. DOD got tired of waiting for the Army to get their house in order, so they created a joint task force. Included members of the Kosvar police, Air Force, Army…

"And Staff Sergeant Zupan," Gibbs nodded.

"Yep. He is...was...the best Albanian and Serbian translator we've got. Took the team nearly two years, but Zupan was the one to make the break in the case. He figured out who the mole was, and we were able to flip him. Got Crncevic's location and enough evidence to put him away...Kosovar police arrested him two weeks ago."

"So who sent Stankic and friend out for revenge?"

Major Jackson shook his head. "Our intelligence suggests that Crncevic's organization has been in chaos since his arrest. We were really hoping we managed to cut the head off this time, but a lot of people were loyal to him, and I can't promise that one of his lieutenants hasn't stepped up to fill the void. Let me make some inquiries and update my contacts on what you've told me. But these are dangerous and well-connected people Agent Gibbs. Better protect whoever it is that gave you these sketches…I'll be in touch when I've found out more." The screen went blank.

"Boss…" McGee said worriedly, glancing to his side.

"I know McGee. I want additional agents posted to Talia, teams of no less than two at all times. The four of us will rotate in."

"I highly doubt Ziva's gonna leave her side once she hears this," Tim said quietly.

Gibbs sighed, staring up at the two sketches. "Yeah, I know McGee."

* * *

><p><strong>This day is only half done, but it was just two long for one chapter. Please let me know your thoughts!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

'**Tis the season of wrapping up work projects, bouts of the flu, and unexpected holiday guests, so this update took much longer than I had hoped. It's shorter and a bit of a filler chapter but was quite fun to write! :)**

**Disclaimer: A '99 Monte Carlo does NOT have enough oomph to make it up a steep snow-filled alley. Ohh and I don't own NCIS... It's a lose-lose type of day I guess...**

* * *

><p>"Abs?"<p>

"In here!"

McGee wondered if he would ever get used to Abby's blaring music. Not for the first time, he wondered if she was less afraid of hearing loss given her mastery of sign language. He made his way into the inner office, where Abby was turning back and forth on her chair and sipping the remnants of a CafPow.

"She's telling the truth!" Abby declared triumphantly, slam dunking her empty cup in the trash and popping to her feet. She tapped a button, the printer spooling suddenly across the room.

"Who, exactly?" Tim asked with a frown.

"Talia of course!" Abby said as if were the most obvious thing in the world. "I picked a hair off her sweater at the apartment and ran it against Ziva's. Definitely related!"

"Abby, we already confirmed...wait, you ran a DNA test on Ziva's sister without her _knowing_ about it?" McGee asked incredulously, studying the paper she thrust at him.

Abby's face fell slightly but she stood her ground, putting her hands on her hips. "Well, yeah! I mean, I know everyone else is convinced but I'm not 100% sure until my forensics confirm it!"

"Can I be there when you show this to Ziva?" McGee chuckled, handing the paper back to her. Abby grimaced.

"Or we can just call this case confirmed and closed, soooo moving on! I figured you were Gibbs wanting the breakdown of the blood samples and wounds..."

"Would be nice Abs," Gibbs said quietly, entering the room with a fresh Caf-Pow. "Whadya got?"

She took the drink with a large smile, setting it down lovingly on her desk as she turned her attention to the computer. "What I got is a match off the blood on the ground and the DNA taken from beneath Zupan's fingernails. Lubich Verdol and…"

"Petar Stankic."

She gave him an impressed look. "Back to the mind-reading thing again I see." She held her fingertips up to her temples, closing her eyes. "Care to guess what I was able to tell from the knife wounds?" She squinted one eye back open after a second and took in Gibbs' scowl with an impish grin. "Another time then...so, the wounds were very distinctive. You are looking for two Spyderco Warrior Combat Knives." She punched a button as a menacingly curved blade appeared on screen. "Nasty little buggers, but quite effective."

"Popular too," Gibbs nodded. "Especially in Eastern Europe."

McGee chimed in then. "Boss, we are still trying to figure out how Stankic and Verdol got into the country. They must have entered using aliases, but we're running the pictures against CBP's entry scans and we've got a BOLO out on the entire East Coast."

"What about Zupan's cell?"

Abby crinkled her nose, holding up the phone's hard drive with wires running to her computer. "Cracked pretty badly when he hit the ground. I was able to recover the data but it's highly encrypted. Me and McGee are just -"

"Then get back to work...unless you've got anything else?" Gibbs interrupted, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Well, we're having a pizza party at Ziva's tonight if you wanna…" She cut off at the sound of the elevator 'ding' and turned to see Gibbs had left. "Yeesh, you'd think the mood around here would be a little more celebratory and all considering Talia's miraculous return!"

"Problem is keeping her safe now, Abs." McGee said. "Let's see what we can do with this cell otherwise I don't think Gibbs will even let us leave here tonight..."

* * *

><p>"I...I don't think I understand," Talia said uncertainly, the piece of pizza in her hand forgotten as she squinted in concentration. "You sleep in a coffin? Is that some type of...American slang I'm not familiar with?"<p>

Abby grinned widely and shook her head. "Nope, I mean that literally!"

Talia's face was blank for another second, then she nodded as if that made perfect sense. "Okay then, whatever floats your boat!"

"ZeeVAH, how is it that your sister, who has only been stateside a few months, already has a better grasp on contractions and cliches than you?" Tony grinned, taking a large bite of his pizza. Ziva's eyes narrowed and Tony glanced down suddenly, wondering if his plate would be a large enough shield for flying dinner knives.

McGee, in an attempt to be diplomatic and polite, leaned over to Talia and said quietly, "Ziva's had some...problems...with American idioms."

Ziva shot him a glare. "I am _not_ that bad!"

The others exchanged a long glance, trying to hide their smirks before they burst out laughing.

"Drip it?"

"Jerking your brain?"

"Spic and Spam?"

"_Smurf_ war?"

"Porcuswine!"

Tony held up a hand to Abby and McGee, "And lastly and still my favorite...I feel like a Donkey's butt..." He wiped an imaginary tear from his eye and then ducked as Ziva threw a balled up napkin at him. "We're a loving bunch," he added with a wink at Talia's amused look.

Talia shook her head playfully and leaned towards Ziva. "Es un pintamonos, no?"

Ziva laughed now, and it was so youthful and carefree - so unlike any laughter the others had ever heard from her - that they all joined in. Tony stopped after a moment, screwing his face up in concentration as he tried to translate.

"Wait, did she just call me a _painted_ _monkey_?"

Ziva snorted and Talia dissolved into another fit of giggles.

"It loses something in translation," Ziva offered. "It's Chilean slang...it essentially means class clown."

"What in the hell do clowns and monkeys have to do with each other?" Tony challenged.

Ziva smiled smugly and waggled a finger at him. "Remember that next time you are making fun of my idioms DiNozzo! They are complex things when not in your native language!" Tony stuck out his tongue.

"So where did you learn Spanish Talia?" Abby asked loudly, returning to her ongoing mission of the evening: fishing unashamedly for personal details.

Talia had just taken a bite of pizza and tried to chew faster to answer. Ziva stepped in. "Our maternal grandmother was Chilean. Our mother used to speak Spanish to us when we were younger."

"Mmmhmmm," Talia said, swallowing the bite. "I lacked Ziva's finesse and ear with languages though. I decided to stop after English and Spanish."

"Only Trilingual? Geez...slacker," Tony teased.

"Why did your grandparents move from Chile to Israel?" Abby continued doggedly.

"Abs can you let the girl breathe? She didn't sign up to play twenty questions!"

"Timmy! She has had to hide her past for, like, a decade. I just thought it would be nice to talk about it again freely!"

"You never would have asked Ziva these personal questions twelve hours after meeting her!"

"That's cause Ziva scared the hell outta me. No offense!" Abby said quickly, throwing an apologetic glance at the elder David. She grinned back.

McGee rolled his eyes. "Talia, feel free to ignore Abby's prodding. She truly can't help herself."

"You would make a cute couple," Talia said speculatively and unexpectedly, studying the two as she tapped her fork to her mouth. Tony snorted into his pizza as McGee's ears burned pink.

Abby just laughed and shook her head. "Ohhh been there done that. We're better off as friends, believe me. Besides, it's not worth tempting the rulemaster...again. And rule 12 is a real doozy to break."

"What is rule 12?"

"Never date a co-worker," four voices answered in unison.

Ziva elaborated after catching sight of Talia's raised eyebrow. "Gibbs has a long list of rules and he is particularly adamant about Rule 12."

"Oho, I bet you've had trouble with that one Zizi," Talia teased, a mischievous glint to her eye.

"Tali…" Ziva said warningly, but it was too late; the others smelled blood in the water.

"Ohh," Abby said gleefully, leaning forward in anticipation. "It's about time we had some rebellious Ziva-as-a-young'un stories! C'mon, spill!"

Talia grinned, "Well let's just say I seem to recall coming home from school sick one day and finding a certain handsome _Samal _completely naked, rummaging through our refrigerator!"

They all laughed but Ziva, who was suddenly serious. "Talia…"

Talia giggled and shook her head. "I will never forget the look on Michael's face when I walked in!"

The laughter stopped so abruptly that Talia was left chuckling alone for a few beats; it sounded horribly awkward in the sudden silence. Her brow creased as she looked around, trying to catch the gaze of those sitting uneasily around the table. "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"

Ziva shot a quick glance to Tony, whose jaw was twitching as he studiously avoided her gaze. He raised a hand to rub distractedly at his left elbow, and Ziva wondered if he even registered the action.

Abby came in with the save, talking a mile a minute before Talia had time to press for answers. "Well, Team Gibbs all try to abide by the rules nowadays, so I guess that's all that matters. They are all too afraid of the wrath of the Silver Fox! So Talia, have you actually visited Chile?"

* * *

><p>Ziva had hopes that Talia would let it go; that she would again be tired and they could call it a night once everyone left after dinner. But even after seven years spent apart, she knew her sister's stubbornness was unrivaled.<p>

Except, perhaps, by her own.

"You are lucky to work with such wonderful people," Talia offered as she helped Ziva make up the guest bed.

Ziva smiled softly to herself as she tucked the sheet beneath the mattress. "I know."

"Tim still likes Abby."

"Oh, I know that as well. And so does Abby...and everyone else for that matter. But they really are better off as friends."

"And Tony…" Talia said, failing miserably to achieve an off-handed tone. She smirked as Ziva rolled her eyes and flicked the top sheet at her.

"You are not subtle, sheli."

"I never claimed to be. Are you and he…" She trailed off suggestively and Ziva gave a nondescript shrug.

"There is absolutely no easy answer to that question," she said honestly. "He is my partner. Sometimes he has been more, sometimes...well the other times have been a lot more complicated actually."

"I'm guessing the latter has something to do with Michael Rivkin," Talia said astutely, cutting through the cryptic answer. Ziva's head snapped up. _Stubborn __and __perceptive_, she thought, chewing the inside of her lip. "C'mon Zizi, everyone obviously knew Michael when I mentioned him at dinner."

Ziva nodded, sitting on the comforter she has just smoothed into place. "Michael was in DC on Eli's orders last year and got in the middle of our investigation. Things...ended badly."

"For Michael?"

"For everyone. Michael was killed. Tony was injured. Trust was...shattered. We are all still feeling our way out of the fallout."

Talia frowned, placing a hand over Ziva's. "I'm sorry, I know how much you cared for him. I won't bring it up again."

Ziva shook her head. "It's okay; it's only fair I start filling in some of the blanks. Just give me some time and patience, eh?"

Talia smiled guiltily. "That's what Tony said when I pressed him earlier for details."

Ziva laughed at that. "Sounds like Tony…"

"He is more than a partner, Ziva. Whether either of you can admit it."

Ziva leaned in, kissing her forehead as she stood from the bed. "Yet another thing I already know." She gave a small wink. "Good night Talia."

* * *

><p><strong>Next chapter will reveal more of the case-side and provide both some heavy and fluffy conversations between Talia and the others! Thanks for reading!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Out of town but back now with another update! **

**I am posting on my phone for the first (and last!) time so apologies for any mistakes**

* * *

><p>Ziva was panting heavily by the time she made it back to her apartment. She had missed her run yesterday, and the crisp morning air and steady pounding of her feet against the pavement were so calming and familiar that she had done her regular loop twice. The shower was running when she opened the front door, nodding to the two agents in the hallway. It was warm in here, and she stripped off her windbreaker and top and threw them down the hallway. She made her way to the kitchen and fished around for a Gatorade, taking several long gulps.<p>

She was just finishing off her drink, staring out the windows over the beautiful fall day when she heard the bathroom door open.

"Zizi, the shower is yours…" Tali's voice faded off, and Ziva turned to see her dressed in jeans and a sweater, frozen in the movement of drying her hair with a towel. She was staring horrified at Ziva.

"What's wrong?" Ziva said, taking a few quick steps to her side. Talia grabbed her shoulders and turned her back around, gasping. She was confused for a moment, but then closed her eyes and groaned.

"Ziva," she choked, running a hand over her sister's back. Underneath the sports bra, Talia could clearly see the faded white lines of countless scars and burns crisscrossing Ziva's skin. She lightly traced a particularly long and deep one down her spine to where it dipped under her running pants.

"It is nothing. Past injuries," Ziva said, turning back around, arms wrapping self-consciously around her waist to hide similar marks there.

"Torture, is what it is!" Talia's eyes flashed angry now. "No more lies, Ziva. What happened to you?"

Ziva opened her mouth to argue but could see already she would lose this battle. She knew that she owed Talia answers, but it followed too soon on the heels of yesterday's difficult revelations.

"I spent three months as a prisoner in a terrorist camp," Ziva said simply, looking down to her finger as it tapped agitatedly against the side of the gatorade bottle.

Tali gasped, squeezing Ziva's shoulder hard. "Where? When? HOW?" She whispered.

"Last year in Somalia," Ziva shrugged. "I was on a mission and was captured."

"For NCIS?" Tali asked, confused.

Ziva shook her head. "No, no I was still Mossad. It was just after the incident with Michael. I had a...falling out...with NCIS and returned to Israel."

"A falling out? Why? And what exactly were you doing with Mossad that you ended up in the Somalian desert?" Tali asked, her voice hardening.

"I was on a mission…" Ziva hedged, but sighed when she saw again that Talia would not be put off. "For Metsada," she added reluctantly.

Talia's eyes bulged at this. "Metsada?" She repeated in disbelief. Ziva nodded.

"You…you joined Kidon after I 'died', didn't you?" Talia whispered, and for the first time in the last few days she looked as if she may not want to hear anything more.

"I was the sharp end of the spear," Ziva said, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. "Eli groomed me for many, many years to be as such. I have done things that I am not proud of, Talia."

"And…and so Papa sent you to, what? Assassinate a terrorist, and you got caught?" Tali continued, shaking her head and trying to push past this revelation.

Ziva grimaced, knowing how much more of the story was missing in that statement, but she nodded as it was essentially true.

"God Ziva…I'm so sorry," Tali said, looking down at the hand she intertwined with Ziva's. "It makes much more sense now why you're so angry and bitter towards him. I can't believe he would put you in such an awful position and then take _three months_ to rescue you."

She must have felt Ziva tense, because she looked back up, confused. Ziva swallowed hard, "Eli did not rescue me."

"He…he couldn't find you?"

"Talia, Eli chose to leave me there. He wrote me off as a casualty of the greater cause and left me there to die," Ziva whispered.

She shook her head, slowly at first but then determinedly. "No. You're just mistaken. He must have looked for you and couldn't find you…If you would just ask him…"

"Don't you think I did? He was here in DC, last year; the only time I have seen him since. And he admitted as much to me."

She continued shaking her head as if she still didn't believe it. "Then how did you escape?"

Talia grew even more concerned as she watched Ziva's face glaze over, the memories obviously flooding her. "Gibbs and Tony and Tim came to Somalia and rescued me. I had been horrible to them; I betrayed their trust and made some unforgivable accusations. They even thought I had already died, and yet still they came halfway around the world. And they brought me home, to DC. That is why I am here; why I became a citizen. They are my family now."

Talia released Ziva's hand and went to sit on the couch. "I can't believe Abba is capable of all of this," she whispered to herself.

Ziva took a deep breath and sat beside her. "Our father has done some heinous things, Talia. Things I can never forgive. And I know this does not match with the loving father you remember. But he always had a soft spot for you, and I truly believe that he wanted you to be safe and free of the path that he set for Ari and me."

Talia chewed on her bottom lip. "I...I just don't know what to think anymore. I was planning on calling him but now…"

Ziva squeezed her hand. "Don't let my opinions affect you. You do whatever you need to. If you want a relationship with him, I am sure he will welcome it with open arms."

She stood then heading towards the bathroom. "Ziva?" Talia called out. "Does it still...hurt?" She said her voice catching on the last word as her eyes skimmed Ziva's scarred torso.

Ziva opened her mouth but closed it quickly again, shaking her head. "I am _fine_ Talia. Don't worry about me."

* * *

><p>"Where's Tali?" Tony asked as Ziva came around her desk, dropping her bag.<p>

"Down in Abby's lab; she was very curious after hearing all about it at dinner. Agent Griffiths is with her." She sighed, more than a little reluctant to leave her endlessly curious sister with a chatty Abby, but she needed to know what was going on with the case. "So what do we know?"

McGee tapped at his keyboard as two images appeared on the plasma. "We've positively ID'd the two assailants as Lubich..._Luu-bick_ Verdol and Petar Stankic..._Stan-kiss_," he stumbled over the names.

"Larry and Curly," Tony interrupted, standing from his desk and looking at the screen. "Both members of the Nula Osam gang, which stands for…"

"Zero Eight, 2008, I know," Ziva nodded, frowning. "The Osams have alliances with Palestinian terrorists; they are watched carefully at Mossad. How in the world were they allowed in the country?"

"Because they were traveling under aliases with bogus papers," McGee answered, hitting a few buttons and two visa scans appeared on screen. "Took a while but we finally found them. These are high end forgeries, passed through customs two days ago at Dulles squeaky clean."

"Well considering who they count as friends, I can't say that I'm surprised. Any leads?"

"They took the Washington Flyer Coach from the airport to the Falls Church metro station. It was during rush hour though, and we lost them in the crowd-"

"Until I had a brilliant thought," Tony interrupted again, smirking at McGee.

"It was my idea, Tony."

"Whatever McGoo, just load the hotel camera clips." He turned his attention back to Ziva. "Our Staff Sergeant was staying at the Latham Hotel, very swanky for an E-6 making less than I do, but maybe he was trying to impress a certain young la…" His voice trailed off as Ziva glared at him. He coughed, continuing quickly. "Anyway, we ran through the hotel surveillance. Here we have Zupan leaving to meet Talia for dinner, and skulking there in the lobby…" He froze the image, zooming in.

"Larry and Curly," Ziva said grimly, watching the two men following Zupan at a distance.

"You got it. They followed him all night, waiting for the perfect chance…"

"And that means they had plenty of time to get a good look at Talia. Damn..." Ziva sighed, chewing on her bottom lip. "Do we have any idea if they are still in country?"

Tony and McGee exchanged a look. "We keep hitting dead ends. We tried to locate other cellphones in the area at the time of the attack but they must have had theirs turned off. We obviously issued BOLOs and travel alerts on their photos and aliases, but so far, they seem to be laying low."

"They could be hiding out from their own people," Gibbs said, coming down the stairs. "Just spoke to Major Jackson again. His sources finally came through with _some_ intel. Seems Crncevic's son made a grab at daddy's spot in the organization. There's a lot of dissension between those who were loyal to Luka Senior and those who are vying for power under the new leadership. Still no intel on who sent these two after Zupan, but it seems Crncevic is none too pleased with them now."

"Wait, Crncevic Senior or Junior?" McGee interrupted.

Gibbs leveled a glare at him for the seemingly trivial question. "Both, McGee! Best Major Jackson can tell, they've been blackballed; they haven't picked up any chatter about a witness or orders to pursue it further.

"Maybe they'll just make a run for it?" Tony offered hopefully.

"I am certainly not going to bet my sister's life on it..."

Gibbs nodded. "Ziva, I need you here today. There's a few recordings they're sending over that I want you to translate yourself in case the Major's people missed something. McGee, you and Abby go back over the surveillance tapes and Zupan's cell phone records and see if _my _ people missed anything. Tony, you're with Talia; make sure Griffiths stays with you." Gibbs drained the last of the coffee from his cup and scowled down at it. He dropped it into the trashcan, already heading for the elevator.

"On it boss!" Tony called after him but then ambled towards Tim's desk and sat down on the corner to examine the frowning probie. "What's got your gut in a twist, McMiniGibbs?" He asked.

"What are you talking about, Tony?" He sighed impatiently.

"There was a reason you wanted clarification between Crncevic Senior and Junior. Why?"

McGee's mouth twisted slightly as he looked at the reports on his screen. "Just a feeling I got from reading through the files on the Osams. There was a lot of tension between father and son, and I'm not entirely convinced that Junior _wants_ daddy out of prison…"

Tony nodded seriously. "Wouldn't be the first time someone grabbed power and would be reluctant to give it back. Keep looking into it McGee. And don't let Gibbs bowl you over like that," he added quietly.

Tim looked up at him, perplexed. "Okay. Thanks? I'll send Talia up here when she's ready to leave…."

Tony watched McGee leave for Abby's lab before returning to his desk, ignoring the heavy feel of Ziva's gaze on him. "That was very...nice of you." He tried not to be offended by the surprise in her tone and shot her a playful look.

"Seeing you go all mother hen has my big brother side feeling warm and fuzzy," he smirked.

Ziva laughed, but it trailed off as Tony's attention turned to his computer screen. Right at the end there, his joking expression slipped and she saw that he had been one hundred percent serious.

* * *

><p>Tim nodded to Agent Griffiths when he stepped off the elevator. He paused outside the doorway to Abby's lab and could just make out hushed whisperings.<p>

"Tony felt horrible about it of course but it _really_ wasn't his fault...then it was a really long summer, and I wasn't sure if Ziva would forgive him once the team was all back together..."

"ABBY!"

The conspiratorial whispers broke off as Tim came into the room, shooting an angry look at the two suddenly guilty women.

"I CAN'T believe you told her Tony killed Rivkin!" Tim admonished quietly and both sets of eyes grew even wider.

Abby froze in horror for a full three seconds before she punched him hard in the arm. "TIM! I was telling her that Tony missed the citizenship ceremony and then you were all scattered in Miami and Canada and Mexico looking for Paloma this summer…"

Even as she was explaining it, Tali had already started talking over her. "TONY killed Michael?"

"Oh shit, Ziva is going to kill _me,_" Tim moaned, wishing desperately he could take back the last twenty seconds. He looked at a still-shocked Abby, his eyes silently begging her to fix this.

"Ok, this is so, SO not our place to say," she said, nervously twisting her spiked cuff around her wrist. "But the alternative is that you go ask Ziva about it and she kills the two of us while leaving absolutely no forensic evidence…" With a quick glance at the empty doorway and another glare at McGee, she explained in hushed tones. "Ziva went back to Israel three summers ago and her relationship with Rivkin heated up...again, I guess? I had no idea they were together when they were younger but after what you said last night…"

"Abby!" Tim groaned.

"Right, sorry. Anyways, they kinda dated until the following spring and he came here and got tangled up in a case we were working on a terrorist cell. He killed an ICE agent and planted some evidence and when Tony found out that it may implicate Ziva, he went to her apartment to talk to her. But _Michael_ was there and there was a fight and Tony ended up shooting him in self-defense."

"Oh God, I can only imagine what that did to Ziva," Talia whispered, her eyes troubled.

Abby nodded. "It wasn't pretty. She and Tony had a pretty big bust up over it and…um…" She trailed off suddenly, glancing to McGee for an assist in how to neatly wrap up the explanation without delving into the subsequent summer.

"And then Ziva stayed in Israel to take a Kidon assignment that led her to Somalia and months of imprisonment," Talia said angrily and now the other two turned to stare agape at her. She just shrugged, "Ziva told me this morning but only the bare essentials. And she told me you all rescued her from there, so thank you…"

"It was mostly Tony," McGee offered quietly. "He refused to stop until Saleem paid for Ziva's death...well at the time we thought she was dead."

"Sounds familiar," Talia sighed and Abby gave her a sad smile. "They have an odd relationship, Tony and my sister…"

"You have nooo idea," Abby drawled and Talia's gaze turned openly curious at the implication in her tone. Abby exchanged a quick glance with Tim, and he knew her well enough to see that she was dangling this intriguing distraction to stop Talia from delving any deeper into the disaster that was 2009.

"Care to enlighten me?" Talia prodded.

"Oh even if I wasn't afraid Ziva would kill me with a Post-It note for gossiping, it would still take me hours to explain their screwy little...thing…" Abby said with a frantic wave of her hand. "Insanely volatile chemistry and deranged mutual dependence is a pretty good summation though I think. Right McGee?"

Tim scowled as she lobbed the conversation at him when he was doing his best to meld onto the computer stool. "Umm, yeah, that's one way of putting it. The sexual tension is normally enough to choke me and Gibbs in the car or bullpen," he grumbled under his breath.

"So haven't they ever…" Talia pressed and she got two simultaneous answers.

"NO!"

"I think so…"

Tim's refutation was still ringing loudly as he turned to glare at Abby. "They were undercover and faking it!"

"_I know__!_" Abby stressed even as Talia looked ready to interrupt and ask what exactly they were faking. "But I still think they had a little thing going on when Gibbs took his Mexican sabbatical."

"Did Tony or Ziva ever actually cop to it?"

"Are you _kidding_ me, McGee? Do you think I'd still be standing here if I'd asked them about it? Besides, you worked closest to them, didn't you have your suspicions?"

"I've gotten really good and ignoring them Abs."

"_Anyway_," Talia interjected, sensing that this was a familiar pattern between these two. "Do you think it's just this silly rule eleven-"

"Twelve," Abby corrected.

"Twelve...that has kept them apart?"

"Again, it would take a Lifetime mini-series to properly explain the crazy track those two have been on since day-one. Fake relationships, real relationships, death and bombs and shootings and movie quotes and sodium-pentathol-induced admissions. Plus they both have permanent passes on the inability-to-communicate express, so…"

"So you're just going to butt out and mind your own business, right Abs?" Tony asked loudly as all three of them jumped. Tim turned quickly back to the computer screen and Talia had the grace to look properly abashed but Abby just smiled.

"I wouldn't be me if I did that DiNozzo, and you know ya love me just the way I am," she said smugly.

"Mmmhmmm," Tony mumbled but let it go. "Talia, you want to hang out here or you ready to go? Ziva's gonna be here for awhile so you're stuck with me."

"We can go. I have some plans for this afternoon. Thanks you guys for...showing me the lab."

Abby gave a little wave as they made their way back to the elevator, getting into the car with Agent Griffiths. "So, Tony…"

"Tali, this afternoon's conversation topics will include the weather, books, favorite foods, and movies, specifically testing your knowledge of the British comedy genre. All other topics are on the prohibited list, okay?" He said teasingly but with enough of a serious undertone that Talia met his stare and acquiesced.

Her grin was resigned. "Fair enough."


	6. Chapter 6

**This is why I love reviews! I had planned on just starting this chapter later in the day but there was such interest in a Talia/Tony conversation that I ended up adding this...and it works beautifully and was the perfect set up for a conversation I have planned for a few chapters down the road, so thank you!**

**Haven't had a disclaimer in a while but you know I still don't own them right? **

* * *

><p>"How have you not seen <em>anything<em> with Peter Cook?"

Talia stopped the perusal of her magazine, her face screwing up in concentration as she pursed her lips. "Wait he's the one in those Pink Panther movies, right?"

Tony sighed dramatically from his spot on the couch, still clicking rapidly through the TV guide. "No, that's Peter Sellers. Another comic genius, but we're veering off topic…"

"Tony, I told you. I've never been much into movies."

"Even less so than your sister, and I never thought that'd be possible. She may be building up her DVD collection but her cable package is woefully lacking. I still can't convince her to get TCM," he whined half-heartedly.

Talia laughed softly. "We weren't allowed to watch a lot of TV growing up. And the cinema was usually out of the question because...well, just because…" Talia's voice trailed off, but Tony knew the reason. He had seen the charred shells of countless movie theaters on ZNN.

"So the David sisters turned to books instead," Tony offered as a change in subject, and Talia took it with a grateful smile.

"Mmhmm, me a little more than Ziva. She has always enjoyed reading but she never quite understood my absolute obsession with literature. Some of my earliest memories are of my mother reading me Austen and Cervantes and Swift. Books were always my form of escapism…"

"What was Ziva's?"

His voice was so quiet and intrigued that it startled Talia. She met his eyes, noting that the clicker lay forgotten in his lap as he studied her now.

"Ziva's what?"

"Her escapism. What was her passion; what made her happiest?"

A smile tugged at the corners of Talia's mouth. "Dancing." Tony's face registered true surprise at that revelation, and she frowned at him. "She's never mentioned it before?"

Tony's brow knit together as he tried to remember. "She mentioned in once in an interrogation. But I thought she was just making it up to relate to our suspect…"

Talia looked equally curious and disturbed by that, but she shook it off. "Ziva was a beautiful dancer: graceful, elegant. As far back as I can remember, she would spend hours and hours practicing. She would lose herself in it."

"She's always been light on her feet. I figured it was all the martial arts training."

Talia shrugged. "It's not all that different; both require coordination, athleticism, flexibility, strength...She's got all those in spades."

"So why'd she stop?"

Talia's face grew sad. "Our mother always encouraged her dancing, but our father was...less supportive. I was really young, but I still remember him coming into our room the night of Ima's funeral and telling Ziva that he was done indulging her empty-headed dreams. He refused to pay for more classes and instead sent her to a military youth camp with Ari that summer…" Her voice trailed off again, and Tony could see that she was reexamining this memory with older eyes now, wondering how he could have been so cruel.

"How old was she?" Tony asked, surprised by how hoarse his voice sounded.

"Thirteen."

He sat back with a small sigh, rubbing a hand over his face. "She doesn't talk a lot about her past. Makes her a very hard one to figure out."

"You seem to have a better handle on my sister than most; I'm rather impressed actually how well you seem to read her…" Talia was studying him closely again, and Tony smiled his best joker's smile.

"We're venturing into topics on the prohibited list now."

Talia smirked back. "You started it."

"I did."

She looked down at her hands then, not meeting his eyes. "Tony I can tell you a lot of things about Ziva growing up. She loved figs and hated dates. She broke her right arm when she was twelve and couldn't swim all summer. She would protect me when Ari's jokes and pranks bordered on mean. And whether she will admit it or not, she liked Saul Rubinstein too." She paused, chancing a look at Tony's face; she couldn't read the expression she saw there. "Those are the types of things Ziva will never willingly tell someone though; she has never been one to dwell on the past. But you should keep asking her about them, keep trying to get her to open up. All those million little things make her the person _you_ know so well today."

They fell into a comfortable silence then, Tony staring blankly at the TV while Talia watched him out of the corner of her eye. A knock at the front door made them both jump, and Tony was on his feet instantly, a hand on his holster. But they heard Agent Griffiths identify himself.

Tony ambled to the door and opened it, shooting an amused look at the slightly red-faced agent. Talia peeked around Tony's arm and smiled warmly, reaching for the bag that Griffiths held out.

"I can't believe you sweet-talked a federal agent into doing a grocery run for you. Ziva would kill me if she found out."

"She is out of cream cheese _and _walnuts! Besides, Jonathan was off duty when he volunteered. Thank you Agent Griffiths," Talia smiled charmingly. "We will save you some for tomorrow!"

Tony chuckled, closing the door and following Talia into the kitchen where she was already pulling out bowls and ingredients. She turned to him with an appraising look. "Let's see if we can't put you to work…"

* * *

><p>It was after eight before Ziva made it home that night, but her mouth started watering the moment she opened the door. It smelled so strongly of her childhood home that she half expected to round the corner and see her mother hovering by the stove, a smear of flour on her forehead.<p>

As it was, her memory wasn't that far off from reality.

"Very stylish Tony," she snickered, giving him a once over. He was facing the sink; his dark slacks sporting a flour handprint over his butt where he had likely wiped his palms without thinking. The expensive blue dress shirt was unbuttoned at the cuffs and rolled up past his elbows. Talia had apparently unearthed the most girly, frilly apron she could find for the occasion (one Ziva was sure she had never personally worn and couldn't remember even buying) and tied it with a large bow behind him.

He froze upon hearing her voice, hands still holding up the bowl he was drying. He turned then to grin sheepishly at her. "Ummm, she promised me first dibs on the goods if I helped clean up." Talia giggled from her spot by the oven and winked at Ziva.

He turned bravely back to his task and almost managed to pull off the cavalier attitude until he heard the telltale 'click' of Ziva's camera phone.

"If you ever show that to McGee, I will tell him about the tattoo on your…"

"Tony!" Ziva said warningly as Talia's eyes widened.

"And just how do you know about that particular tattoo?" She questioned playfully.

"We went undercover once and I had the...misfortune...of showing him inadvertently. Right Jeanne Paul?"

Tony shot her a winning smile over his shoulder. "You got it sweetcheeks!"

"Ohhh so _that_ was what you were faking on an undercover assignment?"

Ziva's eyes narrowed even as Tony laughed. "Apparently I need to have a little word with Abby and McGee...SO," she said, eager to change the subject, "What exactly are you making there?" She peeked down through the oven door. "Rugelah! My favorite."

"I know," Talia grinned. "It's been a long time since I made it, but considering I don't have to pretend to be Chilean around you..."

Ziva laughed. "You always had the baking genes."

"But Ziva is one helluva cook," Tony tossed at them. "When she bothers to invite me to her dinner parties, at least."

"One time, Tony!" She grumbled, heading to her bedroom to change.

"So what did you find in the recordings?" Tony called after her.

"Nothing much," she yelled back. "Major Jackson's men were right in their interpretation. But I think McGee may be on to something. It has not been a smooth transition of power for Crncevic Junior. Gibbs gets the feeling that the Major still isn't giving us a complete picture. We tried to talk to the NCIS team out of Rota...see if they could do some digging on their end. But the team leader is maddeningly unhelpful; got into a yelling match with Gibbs in MTAC and Vance had to call and smooth it over."

"Is that Ron Templeton's team?"

"No, some new girl named Barrett; really seems to push Gibbs' buttons." Ziva reappeared then in sweats and a long sleeved tee, attempting to wrangle her curls with a hair tie. Tony was apparently done with the dishes and had ditched the apron, sitting at the table with a beer.

"Zizi, what are the chances of me running up to New York tomorrow?"

"Just this side of impossible," Ziva said with an incredulous look, sitting across from Tony and swiping his bottle for a sip.

"I coulda told you that, Tali. Too dangerous," he added.

Tali crinkled her nose, twirling the potholder around her finger. "Well any chance I can go shopping then? I only packed an overnight bag when I came down here."

"You can raid my closet if you like."

Talia laughed. "Yes, cargo pants and teeshirts, I see a lot has changed in the last decade!"

Ziva ignored the jab as Tony snorted. "We can send a local LEO to your apartment and have them pack a bag and put it on the train."

"Leo?"

"Law enforcement officer," Tony chimed in. "NYPD cop."

"You want a _stranger_ to root through my underwear drawer," she shuddered, opening the oven and removing the tray of sweets. "No thanks, I'll pass."

Tony raised an eyebrow, "You know, I could -"

"If you value your life, do not finish that sentence," Ziva said warningly. She sighed then, "Although not _entirely_ a bad idea. I have more wire taps to listen to and can do so in the car just as easily as the office. I can be there and back within, oh, about seven hours." Tony and Talia exchanged a look - it would take a normal person over four hours one way with ideal traffic. "Your apartment is in SoHo, yes?"

Tony gave a low whistle, "Swwaanky." Talia smiled and looked relieved. "Yes, that'd be perfect, thank you! And now," she said with a little flourish, setting a large plate down in the middle of the table. "You're reward for being such a good kitchen boy."

"Ha ha ha, never coulda guessed you two were related," he grumbled good-naturedly.

"It should cool a lot longer, but Ziva can attest that it's good straight out of the oven. Ima used to say that she kept an extra spoon in her apron just to shoo her away from the goods."

Tony laughed, blowing on the piece in his hand til it was cool enough to eat. "Mmmm fis is wally gowd," he sputtered through a large bite.

"Annoying and endearing...you were so right," Talia whispered conspiratorially to a grinning Ziva, shaking her head as she took a plate out to the agent in the hallway. Tony tried his best to give a wounded look, but he gave up after a moment and reached for seconds.

He studied the delicate pastry thoughtfully, his voice suddenly low and serious when he spoke again. "She's talked about your mom a lot today. Said she misses how easy it was to talk to her...not like she was putting you down and saying you're not," he amended and she snorted and gave him a look.

"Okay, well yeah, you're not," he acquiesced. "But she did say you told her about Somalia this morning. She wanted to do something special for you…"

Ziva smiled softly, reaching for a little piece of home and memories. "You'll watch out for her tomorrow?"

Tony kicked her gently under the table. "No question, Zi. She'll be fine."

* * *

><p>As much as Ziva's gut twisted the next morning as she drove away from DC, she certainly trusted her team to protect Talia for the day. She only made it thirty minutes listening to the wiretaps before recognizing that she was too distracted to focus on the translations. Just as she had pointedly ignored so many of Talia's questions for the past few days, she had likewise been suppressing her own thoughts and musings. She needed this time to clear her head, alone with nothing but the soothing combination of music and the blaring horns of cars she passed doing ninety-five.<p>

She wondered what her mother would have said or done if she were still alive. Normally sweet and soft-spoken, Rivka David had taken the brunt of Eli's shit without comment. But Ziva also knew she was a force to be reckoned with when her children were involved. Talia was too young, but Ziva remembered the entire winter they spent in Chile when she was nine. Rivka had waited until Eli left for work one morning and then pulled already-packed bags from under Ziva's bed and bustled them into a cab without a backwards glance. Ziva had enjoyed four beautiful months, playing on the beach with Tali and listening to her mother's carefree laughter before a single phone call ended their adventure. They returned to Israel, to Eli, and Rivka died in a car accident five years later without ever telling Ziva what he had said to make her come home.

She was in New Jersey before her thoughts drifted to more dangerous and painful _what-ifs_. If she had not been spurred on by Talia's death, would she have entered Kidon training? Or would she have sought a more stable assignment with a longer life-expectancy? If Ari had not piled Talia's death on top of his hoarded reasons to hate their father, would he still have been able to put a round through Caitlin Todd's forehead? Or would Ziva have still been able to stop him with a bullet of her own knowing that she would have to tell their beloved sister that she was the reason Ari wasn't coming home?

She blinked against sudden brightness as she emerged into daylight from the Holland Tunnel. With a sigh, Ziva resigned herself to accepting that these questions were futile. Without the lies and betrayal and deaths - both real and manufactured - she would not have her life today. She may never have worked with Jenny Shepherd, and almost certainly wouldn't have come to NCIS. She would not be an American citizen, living a life she loved with a team that had taught her a more healthy and complete meaning of the word _family_.

"Accept the things I cannot change_…__" _she muttered quietly to herself, parallel parking in a minuscule spot in front of Talia's building. She knew it to be the prayer of recovering alcoholics and thought idly that there must also be a corresponding Gibbs rule.

* * *

><p>"Very Special Agent Anthony D-"<p>

"Tony, it's me," came Ziva's urgent voice from the phone receiver. "Why isn't Gibbs answering his cell?

"He's up with Vance, why what's wr-"

"Talia's apartment has been ranbagged."

Tony's Ziva-translator kicked into high-speed. "Ransacked? No one noticed anything suspicious and reported it?"

"No. The lock was picked cleanly and the doorman does not recognize the sketches of Verdol or Stankic. They are checking cameras to determine how they got in."

"You've got your bag right?"

"Yes. I am taking prints and photos now, but Tony, they clearly haven't given up on her…"

"I know, it's gonna be okay…"

"Talia is there?"

"Yeah she and McGee are having lunch in the break room. I'll go check on them."

"We need to arrange a safe house."

"I _know_ Ziva," Tony said reassuringly, glancing up as Gibbs came into the bullpen. "Listen, boss is here; lemme fill him in. Finish processing the apartment and head back. We'll make all the arrangements here." He hung up his phone, looking to Gibbs. "Someone turned over Talia's apartment."

"Our suspects?" Gibbs asked, even though he already knew the answer.

Tony nodded. "Probably. Ziva is bringing evidence back with her. She wants to put Talia in a safe house."

Gibbs didn't answer right away but stared into the space above Tony's head as if he was trying to work something out. Tony couldn't imagine he would have any objections to the extra security. "Somethin on your mind, boss?"

"Makes me wonder what's really going on," Gibbs said quietly. "Vance and I just talked to that idiot Barrett again and McGee was right; Crncevic Junior black-balled Verdol and Stankic and has cut all ties to them. He is making no effort to help his father get out of prison. So why are they still after Talia?"

"Hoping to finish her off and redeem themselves?" Tony offered.

Gibbs grimaced, shaking his head. "We're still missing something. Let McGee know they aren't going back to Ziva's tonight. I'll take care of it."

* * *

><p>"I have you to thank for this I'm assuming," Ziva said, looking around. They were in a very comfortable hotel suite, so unlike their normal decrepit safe houses.<p>

Gibbs smirked. "Director was an easy sell when he found out who it was for."

"Well in any case, I am grateful Talia is not sleeping in a flee-infested pigpen."

"Pig sty."

"That too," Ziva sighed, sitting on the arm of the couch and looking out over the dark picture windows. She was tired, having returned to DC in the early evening laden with dozens of samples that produced little results.

Gibbs studied her tired face and the tension pulling her shoulders up nearly to her ears. "You should go home and get a good night's sleep. I've got tonight covered."

"You know as well as I do that I am not going anywhere. Not until we figure out what the hell is going on."

"McGee and Abby find anything?"

"No. A few unidentified prints from Talia's apartment, but they are definitely not Verdol and Stankic's; likely her friends from a dinner party she had two weeks ago. Nothing on the building's surveillance tapes either; they are good at what they do. Things just aren't adding up."

"We'll figure it out Ziver. Always do."

She simply nodded, her face hardly convinced and resumed staring into the darkness. He wanted to ask how she was feeling - how she was handling everything - but that wasn't his style or Ziva's. So he reached for his book on the coffee table and resigned himself to waiting.

He made it three chapters before her quiet voice broke the silence.

"I told her about Somalia yesterday." He looked up over his reading glasses; she was still staring out the window, and he sensed that she was talking more to herself than to him.

"All of it?" Gibbs prodded gently, cautiously, to keep the walls from crashing back into place around her.

She gave a half-hearted shrug. "Enough of the story. None of the truly ugly details or my own motivations for continuing the mission after…" She swallowed hard and Gibbs set the book aside, cringing inwardly as he remembered their conversation in the interrogation room; her admission that she had gone to Somalia to welcome death with open arms. "Enough to know why I can't forgive Eli," she clarified, picking at her fingernails.

"Does she want a relationship with him again?"

"She is...undecided. She is nervous about speaking to him and unsure how she feels about his lies." Her eyes hardened. "I, on the other hand, did not think it possible that I could hate the man any more than I already did. He stole seven years of time away from me, from us. Leave it to my father to literally play God and think he can manipulate life and death to suit his own needs."

Gibbs didn't answer that, mostly because he had no answer. He was thinking about what Eli had done, wondering not for the first time in the last several days how one man could treat two daughters so differently.

Something of his thoughts must have registered on his face, because Ziva was studying him and whispered, "I'm trying to make my peace with it. I really am, but…" she hesitated before continuing. "As a father, would you have done what Eli did?"

Gibbs took a minute to think about how to answer. "With Talia, yes. Any parent would forfeit the right to see their child again if it meant keeping them safe. But not with you, Ziva. I can't imagine breaking my daughter just to put her back together again how I deemed fit."

Her head dropped and her shoulders relaxed a millimeter. "So I'm not being overly dramatic?" She sounded a little bit relieved.

Gibbs gave a hard laugh. "You know my opinion of Eli David. I'm not exactly an...objective observer in matters concerning him. But never feel guilty for your anger and disappointment in a man that is supposed to love you unconditionally. You get to be pissed off and hurt and confused. Just don't let it consume you," he added as a soft afterthought.

She pursed her lips. "There is still so much to tell Talia. So much I am afraid for her to know. Especially Ari..."

"It'll come in time, Ziver. It's only been a few days, give it time." She gave a small smile and nodded slowly, trying to believe his words. He jerked his chin towards one of the two bedrooms, "Go catch a few, I'm not going anywhere."

She stood, yawning and stretching as her back and neck cracked loudly. "Geez a thirty year old body shouldn't sound like that…" He winced.

She smirked now, leaning over to kiss him on the forehead. "Good night Gibbs. Thank you..."

* * *

><p><strong>Love for the GibbsZiva moments! **

**Please leave a little note and let me know your thoughts...remember that it's a good way to point out opportunities for scenes and conversations that I may otherwise miss! **

**We've got a big break in the case coming next chapter and I'm on leave for a glorious 10 days so you should see an update soonish. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**This poor story - I really do love it, but those damn writers keep throwing things out that distract me. I'm still making my way through tagging Newborn King, but I wanted to get an update out here. It's very case heavy, and my first time writing an interrogation, so I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"I will be just fine if you have to go to work, you know."<p>

Ziva shrugged, settling herself on the other end of the couch. "McGee is coming by in an hour; I will go in and get some work done then."

"There are two armed federal agents sitting in the kitchen and no one knows where I am…" She broke off as Ziva leveled a glare at her. "But I will defer to your expertise. How many times have you had to do this? Must get boring easily, unless of course you have _good_ company..."

"Ohh no, I'm done talking about me. You've been so busy trying to collect information from me _and from others_," Talia gave a guilty grin. "But I haven't had the chance to ask _you_ any questions in a few days!" Ziva teased.

"Not much more to tell, I guess."

"So you're definitely done with school now, yes?"

Talia nodded. "I was so happy to get into NYU for their Summer Publishing Institute. The contacts I made were amazing. I have a number of job offers waiting for me both in New York and in England."

"Do you want to return to London? Or...or maybe even Israel now?" Ziva kept her voice neutral, not wanting to show her distress over the thought of Talia leaving so soon. She had a flash of memory from her ridiculous psych evals after Somalia. Her shrink had left the office to take an emergency call and Ziva took the opportunity to snoop in her own case notes. The scrawled words _serious trust/abandonment issues_ still made her teeth gnash together, and she tried not to think how the flutter in her stomach now was proving it true.

"If...if I had to, I guess I would. But England never felt like home, you know? It was just somewhere I had to be. Israel will always be home, and I miss it desperately …" She struggled to find the right words. "But I don't know if I can return there either. The violence and the ghosts," she shuddered, absentmindedly fingering a long scar hidden by her hair where shrapnel had necessitated 24 stitches.

Ziva nodded slowly. "I know what you mean."

Talia came slowly out of her reverie and nodded. "Yes, you certainly do. I like New York though. I can see myself living there, especially now if it means I'm closer to you!" She grinned, her face relaxed again, and tapped her toes gently against Ziva's shin.

Ziva smiled smugly, "Well that's good. It saves me the trouble of transferring. So you won't be leaving anyone...special...behind in England?"

Talia rolled her eyes. "Subtle, oh master interrogator!"

"Hey! As your big sister, it is my job to doctor all boyfriend contenders!"

Talia's brow crinkled in confusion as she considered that one for a moment. She laughed then. "Vet, Zizi. The term is to vet a person. Tony wasn't kidding about your English was he?"

"Hey now! This is about you, don't go changing the subject!"

Talia giggled again. "No, Ziva, there is no one for you to vet. I had hoped…" Her voice trailed off once more.

Ziva looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry, that was thoughtless of me. Do you want to talk about Tomas?"

Talia tucked her legs beneath her, her elbow resting on the back of the cushion, hand propping up her head. "There is so much else going on, but I feel like a horrible person for not...mourning him more."

"You said you met him at university?"

She smiled sadly and nodded. "A gaggle of my boarding school friends were in town and so we were doing the obligatory pub crawl. Tomas was there with a few fellow Marines. He was a couple of years older, but we really hit it off and ended up talking all night."

"Oh?" Ziva asked, trying to keep her tone neutral and failing miserably. But it made Talia smile. "Not like _that_. We were always just friends."

Ziva studied her. "You wanted more."

"Mmm," Talia shrugged. "I have been...careful...with my acquaintances. It was hard to get close to anyone without being able to tell them the truth of my past, you know? But with Tomas, it was so simple. We always talked about the future, not the past. We've remained friends for so long; I think we were too scared to jeopardize that, so we never took the chance…" Talia paused, her gaze flickering across the couch. Ziva knew they were both thinking the same thing; wondering if it was a David genetic trait.

Talia sighed and continued."I really thought that when we saw each other again, maybe…" She swallowed hard. "It's not fair."

"No. No Talia, it is not. But we'll find the men who killed Tomas. I promise you that."

Talia shook her head as if shaking off a memory and looked around the hotel suite. "How long does something like this usually take? I mean, this is very nice, but I can't live in a safe house indefinitely. Life has to go back to normal at some point?" Ziva's eyebrow shot up. "Okay, some semblance of normalcy then?"

Ziva chuckled and broke off when her phone buzzed. "David," she answered.

"Got a lead, McGee is sending you an address. Meet us there in fifteen," Gibbs said simply. She could hear the roar of the Charger's engine in the background.

"Gibbs, I don't want to leave Tali -"

"I'm sending Agent Coleman for additional back up; he should be there in five. She'll be fine Ziva."

Ziva sighed, snapping her phone close and standing quickly. Talia followed suit, chewing nervously on her lip. "Did you find them?"

Ziva grabbed her bag from the table and then kissed Talia's cheek. "Hope so. I'll call as soon as I know more. Listen to what the agents tell you and _please _be safe."

"You too."

* * *

><p>"How did you find this place?" Ziva asked, looking up at the decrepit building as she climbed out of her barely-parked car. She had been further away with a later start on the others and still managed to pull up at almost the same time.<p>

"We were scraping the barrel for new ideas this morning and thought about your suggestion from last year when we were trying to find that auctioneer's tail. It made sense that if they turned over Talia's apartment, maybe they were also surveilling her. So we ran her phone records and found that one encrypted cell has pinged off the same tower as hers several times over the past few days," McGee explanation trailed off as Ziva's jaw clenched so hard she looked ready to crack a tooth.

"They _were_ following her…" She gritted out, her hand tightening on her Sig as they entered the shabby apartment building. "HOW did I miss that?"

"Ziva…" Gibbs said warningly.

"I'm fine," she spat back at him.

McGee looked nervously between them and continued awkwardly. "Uhhh, we were able to narrow their movements down to this general area and compared it to the latest batch of BOLO reports...a local LEO saw two men fitting the description enter this building."

Tony met them in the hallway, jerking his chin to the staircase. "Management says new guys came this week, paid cash, apartment 305. Should be there now."

They moved as quietly as possible on the creaking staircase, glad for the cover of someone's bass-heavy music and a couple arguing on the second floor. Ziva was the first down the third floor corridor, glancing back to Gibbs as she positioned herself in front of the door, but the boss shook his head slightly and motioned for her to move to the side as Tony took her place. She scowled, but Gibbs knew better. If Ziva had her way, the men would be dead before they hit the floor.

With a nod for the go-ahead Tony kicked in the door to shouts of "NCIS! Federal Agents!" There was a flurry of activity inside; one of the surprised man swinging a gun towards them. He got off an errant shot before three rounds found his chest. The other man lunged sideways from the kitchen chair, taking refuge behind a shoddy couch.

"Drop your weapon!"

"Kap tvoj oružje!" Ziva screamed in his native tongue. "SADA!"

"Okay…" Came a halted response in English as they heard the gun clatter on linoleum, two empty hands slowly creeping up from behind the couch. "Okay, don't shoot!" Tony moved around, grabbing the man and shoved his face to the ground to cuff him. Ziva kicked the other man's gun away and felt for a pulse. She looked up at Gibbs, shaking her head, and turned her attention to the kitchen table. There was a box of half eaten pizza, greasy napkins littering the floor. A gun cleaning kit lay open, a bottle of upended solvent leaking all over a stack of papers beneath it. She pulled out a glove and moved the bottle; a splotched picture of her sister's face smiled up at her. She took a few deep, shuddering breaths, fanning the papers out. A picture of her having dinner with Tomas. Talia exiting the car at Ziva's apartment two days ago. A copy of her student ID from Cambridge.

Ziva dropped the glove, turning suddenly as Tony made to move past her with a now-cuffed Stankic. Her hand flexed into a V and flew to his throat, striking him hard enough to choke him up but not enough to leave a visible mark.

"Ziva!" Gibbs yelled.

"Is there anyone else?" She demanded, her fingers still twitching at the man's throat. "Another team?"

"ZIVA!" Gibbs was behind her then, knocking her hand away from Stankic and stepping in between them, forcing her to take a step back. Tony shoved past with the cuffed man before Ziva could protest further. "ENOUGH," Gibbs growled. "Stay here with McGee to wait for Ducky and process the scene."

"But Gibbs -"

All it took was a glare and one raised finger to silence her. She bit her cheek hard enough to taste blood, holding back the retort on her lips, and just gave a curt nod. She waited until Gibbs was out of the room before pulling out her phone and shooting a quick text to Tony demanding that he call her immediately with any information they got out of Stankic.

"This is good news, Ziva," McGee said quietly, watching her from the corner of his eye as he rooted through his bag for the camera. "We got both of them. Talia should be safe…"

"I hope so McGee," she said grimly, returning to the stack of information on her sister and trying to ignore the unease in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

><p>"I could use some water," Stankic coughed, rubbing his throat where Ziva had struck him. "I think that <em>kurvo<em> bruised my windpipe."

Tony stared impassively back from where he leaned against the observation glass and then unscrewed the top off his own water bottle and took a few long, deliberate gulps.

Stankic scowled up at him and looked ready to retort, but the door banged open and Gibbs thundered in. He threw a file down on the metal table, yanking the empty chair back hard. It skittered into the wall behind them, the noise reverberating through the enclosed space.

"I want to speak to -"

"You are a member of Nula Osam," Gibbs growled, leaning over menacingly. "A group that aids and abets terrorists. You don't get a lawyer. You don't get an embassy call. You don't get _any _fucking rights. If you so much as blink in my direction right now and I don't like it, I get to send your ass packing to Gitmo. Are. We. Clear?"

Stankic didn't answer, but leaned back in the chair, his still-cuffed hands falling to his lap. Gibbs took his silence as consent, reaching back for the discarded chair as he flicked a picture of Zupan in uniform across the table. Stankic reached out automatically, stopping the sheet in front of him. "Your prints and DNA at the scene. An eye witness positively ID'd you. I already know you killed Staff Sergeant Tomas Zupan. I wanna know why."

Stankic's eyes narrowed and Gibbs could see immediately that the arrogant man wouldn't be confessing anytime soon. "All I know is that he stuck his nose into matters that do not concern him or your country."

"So that gives you the right to come into _our_ country and murder him?"

Stankic was unresponsive, almost appearing bored. Gibbs nodded slowly, reaching into the file and pulled out another picture. "And the girl? Orders again?"

Stankic sneered now. "She is lucky to have made it so quickly into your protective custody. Tell me, do all witnesses get such attentive care in this country or only the ones who look like her?"

"ENOUGH!" Gibbs bellowed, slamming a hand down on the table. Stankic jumped and Tony smirked, starting a slow circle around the room.

"Want me to get those transfer papers to Gitmo going, boss?" He leaned in close to Stankic and whispered menacingly. "Ready to be someone's _kurvo_, are ya?"

"I had orders to collect information on the girl. That is all I will admit," he said, flinching uncomfortably away from Tony, who still hovered over him.

"Crncevic," Gibbs said simply. It was not a question. Stankic glared silently back. "So no problems with the change of management? You're okay taking your marching orders from a thirty year old rich boy?" Gibbs chuckled.

That got a rise out him. "Lukashka? That little _kurac_? I would never do anything for that sniveling excuse of a man," Stankic sneered. "He can't be bothered with such matters now that he fancies himself in control. He will not last one month in his father's world."

"So you admit that you are loyal to Crncevic Senior? That you were acting on his orders in going after our witness?"

The foreigner's mouth pressed into a tight line. "I want to make a deal. Information for immunity. I have plenty to offer."

Gibbs snorted, standing up and looking to Tony. "Forget Gitmo; start processing his extradition."

Stankic looked up, a hint of panic glimmering in his cold eyes. "Am I not to stand trial here in America?"

Gibbs shrugged from the doorway, "We've been asked to extradite you to Kosovo and, well, I think I can live with that." He paused at the door, turning to look at the increasingly agitated man. "Of course, if I were a betting man, I'd say that chances of you making it to trial are pretty slim. Luka may be a little _kurac,_ but it seems you managed to piss him off pretty good. I bet he has a lot of people gunning for you…." Gibbs stared off into space pensively for a moment before smirking to himself and stepping into the hallway.

"Wait!"

He turned back to see both hatred and resignation burning in Stankic's eyes. "A confession and information. In exchange, I stay here and am tried in your system."

Gibbs slammed the door, moving slowly back to the table and sitting across from him once more. "Talk."

A breath hissed between Stankic's teeth as he leaned forward. "Your Staff Sergeant was set to testify against our boss and our orders were simple. My idiot partner was supposed to grab the girl but she's a quick little thing... _so _pretty too," he sneered. Tony took a step away, fists balling as he fought the urge to deck the man. He was glad Ziva wasn't on the other side of the glass.

"And good with faces apparently; she seemed to do well in her descriptions of us. So we got her name, looked for anything in New York to help us get closer, but you have had her under your care since day one. We tried to send the information to our people back home, looking for reinforcements, but that little bitch Luka is controlling all channels of communication. He shut us out, said the girl is no importance to him, and that if we ever stepped foot back in his territory, he'd kill us."

"I'm just supposed to take your word for it? That the hit has been called off our witness?" Gibbs said, doubt coloring is voice.

Stankic shrugged. "Her account in Zupan's murder will help keep Mr. Crncevic imprisoned, and that's exactly was Lukashka wants. The girl is not important."

Gibbs scowled and stood without another word and he and Tony both left the room.

"You believe him boss?" Tony asked dubiously once they were in the hallway. "There is some logic under that smarmy Eastern European accent…"

Gibbs shrugged; just like Ziva, something was still nagging at him. He just couldn't quite place the unease.

* * *

><p><strong>I have an (unhealthy) obsession with other languages, and that includes colorful and prolific profanities. I'll leave the translations to your own imaginations; they shouldn't be hard to figure out. :)<strong>

**Happy Holidays to all!**


	8. Chapter 8

"I want to talk to him."

"Ziva-"

"No Gibbs! He may have more information that he isn't sharing! I can get an answer."

"Uh huh. Or end up in jail yourself for intimidation or murder."

Vance interrupted the two before Ziva could argue it further. "Agent David, we are taking _every_ precaution to verify the information presented to us. But the intel we got from Stankic is consistent with the reports we are getting from Major Jackson and our people in Kosovo. Crncevic Junior could care less if Stankic is tied to Zupan's murder, or how that affects his father's case. I see the threat against Talia as nearly nonexistent; the Osams have more reason at this point to go after Stankic. But I promise you we're certainly not done investigating the matter. We'll keep some measure of _reasonable_ protection in place until the final pieces and players are accounted for."

"Reasonable? Is that your way of saying that NCIS can't afford to expend any more resources on keeping her safe?" Gibbs shot her a warning look and she swallowed down the rest of her retort.

Vance's mouth pressed into a hard line. "It means that we'll use protection and manpower proportional to the remaining threat, Agent David. I can spare three agents of your choosing to rotate in on eight hour shifts, keeping an eye on Talia at _your_ apartment. Am I understood?"

Ziva's mouth opened again, but it was Gibbs who nodded quickly. "Thank you Director." He grabbed Ziva by the arm, steering her quickly out the door.

"Gibbs, I -"

"Vance has to play the political penny-pincher, Ziva. We don't. The four of us can keep her safe."

She paused on the stairs and twisted her arm away from his grip. "I have a bad feeling Gibbs. My gut tells me this isn't over."

He opened his mouth (to call her a paranoid and neurotic she presumed) but then laughter floated up the stairs from the bullpen, drawing both of their gazes. Talia was perched on Ziva's desk, and if the look on Tony's face was any indication, she had just stolen a large bite from his sandwich. Tim was sitting at his own desk with his back to Ziva and Gibbs, but they could see his shoulders shaking with poorly suppressed laughter.

Ziva leaned against the railing and tried to take comfort from the carefree scene below her. "I am worried," she whispered. From the corner of her eye, she saw Gibbs mirror her position. "And I think you are too."

"Well right now I'm worried about a lot of things, Ziver. Not the least of which is you." She scowled, but just continued to watch as Tony handed the sandwich over to Talia and grabbed another one from inside a white bag on his desk. Gibbs sighed, pushing away from the railing. "We'll follow your lead. We won't stop until you're satisfied the threat has passed. Okay?"

She took several moments before standing up straight and turning to meet his steely gaze.

"Okay."

* * *

><p>"Oh! Are you doing a coffee run Agent Gibbs?"<p>

Three pairs of eyes glanced up, taking in Talia's hopeful expression as she stared at Gibbs. She had been working at the extra desk at the end of the bullpen, updating her resume and reestablishing contact with several publishing firms in New York. The day was wearing long on all of them though, and she looked just as in need of caffeine as the boss at the moment. "Mind if I tag along?"

Ziva was surprised at Tali's enthusiastic request, and admittedly even more surprised when Gibbs nodded his head towards the elevator. She grabbed her purse and hurried to catch up to him, Tony chuckling as she passed. "Twenty bucks says she crashes and burns trying to weasel any information outta the master…"

Ziva grinned, leaning back in her chair and studied Tony. "Tali versus Gibbs? I wouldn't touch that bet with a nine foot stick…"

Tim listened as far as Tony's exasperated "_Ten foot pole, honestly Ziva why…"_ before effectively tuning them both out.

[]

"You were a Marine, yes?" Talia said conversationally, studying Gibbs from the corner of her eye. His gait was relaxed, as was his face, but in a way that usually encouraged silence over small talk. Unfortunately for him, Talia shared her sister's proclivity for pushed personal boundaries.

"Once a Marine-"

"Always a Marine, yes I know. Tomas used to say that all the time."

Gibbs nodded, holding open the front door as they stepped out in the cool autumnal day. "From all his reports and evals, Staff Sergeant Zupan was a good man."

Her expression was regretful. "He was...the very best. Thank you, for not giving up until you caught his killers."

"It's what we do, Talia."

She smiled. "I know. But I still get to be grateful for it."

They walked the rest of the way to the coffee kiosk in comfortable silence. As they took their place at the end of the long line however, Talia seized the opportunity for further conversation. She turned towards him, rubbing her hands briskly over her arms to warm up. "Agent Gibbs…"

"Just Gibbs."

"Alright, Gibbs. We haven't had a chance to really talk yet," She met his raised eyebrow and grinned charmingly in return. "And yes, I get the sense you're not a chatterbox. But I just wanted to also thank you for taking such good care of Ziva all these years. I know I've missed a lot, but she's filled me in on some of it and the rest I can see for myself. She's well cared for here, loved. And you seem to really _get _her, which is no easy task, trust me."

Gibbs smiled in spite of himself; he certainly knew that. Something in his expression must have piqued Talia's interest, and she cocked her head to study him. "Do you have kids, Gibbs?"

The smile faded, and Talia immediately regretted the invasive question.

"Had." The answer was simple, unmistakable, and unfortunately too-familiar rolling off Gibbs' lips.

"A daughter," Talia said softly, not needing further confirmation. She stared distractedly at the trees, watching as the wind shook crimson leaves from their boughs. "Makes sense…" she said in a quiet voice. "An abandoned daughter finds a grieving father...both patching a small piece of the gaping void."

She shook her head quickly, as if just realizing she had spoken aloud and then blushed to match the falling foliage. "I'm so sorry! It's the story-lover in me that latches onto themes...that was rude..."

Gibbs just shrugged. "Never apologize-"

"It's a sign of weakness, Ziva told me that rule already," Talia nodded quickly.

The small smirk returned to Gibbs' face. "That too, but no sense in apologizing when you're right."

Talia looked relieved for not offending him, but the close-call still did nothing to stop her from speaking yet again. "It's only been a few days, but I can already tell you are a better father to Ziva than ours ever was…" It was a realization that came with equal parts comfort and sadness for both those who cared for her. She watched Gibbs for a further reaction, but his face was locked down now. Her window of opportunity closed as the person in front of them signed his receipt, and so she smiled in resignation and squinted up at the drink board.

"Shall we order for the others? They can probably use the caffeine. Ziva would want…"

"Jasmine tea with a little honey," Gibbs finished quietly, meeting Talia's gaze.

"Yeah...yeah exactly..."

[]

The drinks were delivered to a thankful team. Gibbs paused in front of Tony's desk, snapping his fingers at the bewildered Senior Field Agent until the younger man groaned, digging twenty dollars out of his pocket and handing it to Gibbs. He immediately turned it over to a confused Talia and shot a look at Ziva.

"Nine foot stick or not, coulda been twenty dollars richer David…"

* * *

><p>Ziva could tell she was being watched - Ziva could always tell when eyes lingered on her for longer than a fleeting glance. Gibbs and McGee were down in Abby's lab and Tony was up in MTAC, which meant only one other set of eyes remained in the bullpen at this late hour. She ignored it for several minutes, reading a page and half of yet another report on Nula Osam before mingled curiosity and annoyance got the better of her.<p>

"You are staring a hole in my head, sheli," she warned, not looking away from the screen.

"I am just wondering what finally gave you faith…" Talia said in a contemplative and offhand voice. Ziva looked up sharply, surprised by the unexpected statement, and found Talia staring at her neck. As she often did, Ziva had been playing absentmindedly with her necklace as she read.

"I noticed it a few days ago and didn't know how to bring it up," Talia leaned forward in Gibbs' chair, resting her elbows on the desk and her chin in her hands. "Was it after your rescue in Somalia?" She asked softly.

Ziva shook her head quickly and answered honestly without thinking about it. "No. Faith is something I still struggle with most days. I don't know that I will ever find it."

Talia jerked her chin at the necklace. "Then why?"

This answer came less readily than the much more spiritual and personal question before it. And it came with a pang in her heart and a sting at the back of her neck where the ghost of a breaking chain scratched against her skin.

"When you supposedly died, Eli gave me your necklace."

Talia's eyes widened, her hands dropping to the desk as she sat up straighter. "Bubbe David's Star? I thought I lost it that day!" She said it wistfully and with such longing for her lost treasure that Ziva filed the expression away under the ever-growing list of reasons to hate her father.

"No Tali, it was not lost. He gave it to me and told me to always remember what we were fighting for. I spent an hour washing the bloodstains from it and years trying to scrub away the memory of them." Ziva grew more pensive, leaning back in the chair and fingering the small golden pendant as her eyes grew distant. "I suppose in the end it represented faith to me as well, but a devotion very different from yours. I carried it as my talisman, my reminder to do whatever it took to continue in the war that stole you away from us."

"What happened to it?" Talia prompted after Ziva, lost in thought, was silent for nearly a minute.

"It was taken from me, in Somalia," Ziva whispered, her eyes still far away. "In some ways, its loss stung more than my other wounds. I failed. I lost my focus, my drive for vengeance. And I lost you all over again."

Talia stood, moving swiftly to sit on the edge of Ziva's desk, taking one of her sister's hands. Ziva's troubled gaze shifted slowly back to the present, an apologetic smile crossing her lips as the tension slid from her face.

"But like I said, I survived, and I found my home here. I had never told anyone else the significance of our necklace. All they knew is that it was important to me, and that it was lost. And so, last year, I received this as a Hanukkah gift," she said, tapping the Star.

"From?" Talia asked before she could stop herself.

Ziva just smiled softly, shaking her head. "That is my secret, but it honestly doesn't matter Talia. At the end of the day, it is my own symbol of what they all represent to me and my life here: family and love and security…"

Talia gave her hand a squeeze and returned to Gibbs' chair after another minute, wisely sensing not to press the issue further. Ziva meanwhile studied the small gold object between her fingers. It suited her; he had known that when he chose it. It was clearly different than her old necklace: more delicate, not as heavy around her neck. And not for the first time she wondered if it was in fact physically lighter or if it simply carried fewer ghosts and expectations than its predecessor.

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter may feel a bit random, but this is where the entire story started, and I just couldn't bring myself to cut it out. I wrote a tag eons ago as my own completely different take on Ziva's necklace. This was just supposed to be a dream sequence of her talking to her sister, but I enjoyed writing Talia so much that I wanted to find a way to build a fic around her. <strong>

**That said, this chapter was also a _nightmare_...I rewrote the Gibbs/Talia scene no less than five times. The good news is that I kept getting frustrated and skipping over it, so the next chapter is almost completely done and should post in the next day or two. Plus it has some real hard hitting moments with Eli, Ari,**** and a _very_ twisty surprise!**

**Don't let the imminent update stop you from leaving a note though please! The reviews help immensely with ideas and feedback! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**I am woefully behind on responding to reviews, but please know it feels like Christmas morning every time I get a review alert and I am deeply grateful for all of the positive feedback!**

* * *

><p>"Can I please go for a walk?" Talia stood in front of Ziva's desk and stretched, looking out over the unseasonably warm and sunny morning. "You stay here and finish up your reports and all. Agent Bates can come with me."<p>

"I don't know…" Ziva hedged.

"C'mon, you got the bad guys! I'll be fine! Besides…" She looked out the window again, chewing on her lip. "I think I would like to...call Abba…"

Ziva opened her mouth but then closed it again and simply nodded after a long moment. "Okay. Just stay on the Navy Yard yes? And _please _be careful." She gave Talia a long look that clearly said she was talking just as much about her communication with Eli as the threat from the outside world.

"I will, promise."

* * *

><p>After an hour of poorly suppressed concern and inefficiency, Ziva gave up on her case notes and went in search of Talia. Finally she found her near the coffee kiosk, Agent Bates sitting unobtrusively a few benches away. Talia was staring out across the landscape with a clearly troubled expression.<p>

_Bastard, _Ziva thought furiously.

"Tali, what is it?" Ziva asked, sitting down on the bench beside her. "What did he say?"

"Lots of things," she whispered, looking down at her hands. "He said he was happy to hear my voice again, but his has changed so much. He sounds old, Ziva; old and bitter and angry. It wasn't the father I remember."

"Like I said, it's been a long seven years," Ziva sighed, rubbing small circles on her back.

"He said something else," Tali continued hesitantly. "He said he deeply regretted letting any of his children ever step foot on American soil. When I asked him why, he laughed - spitefully - and said to ask you."

Ziva froze and silently cursed Eli once more. After everything that had happened, still he was playing his mind games.

"Tali, I have to tell you something. I should have done it sooner, but...but I need you to just listen to me; all the way through. And then if you want to walk away, I will not stop you," she whispered. Talia's eyes shot up to meet hers. She hesitated for a long moment and then nodded.

Ziva took a deep breath and dove in. She tried to explain how Ari had blamed Eli for his mother's death and how he resented and hated their father. She told of how she and Ari worked together at Mossad: Ari posing as a terrorist to infiltrate their networks while she served as his control officer. How he grew more erratic, more difficult to control until he just disappeared. She managed to choke out that he killed an NCIS agent and began hunting down the rest of the team to make their father suffer.

"Wait," Tali said, unable to stop herself from interrupting. "Ari…_our_ Ari gunned down an innocent woman in cold blood?"

Ziva shook her head slowly. "I did not believe it either. I was determined to protect Ari…Even when Eli ordered me to come here and kill him in order to gain Gibbs' trust…" Tali pulled her hand from Ziva's at this, staring at her.

"You didn't…"

"I didn't believe what Eli said. I took the assignment to come here and protect Ari when another agent would have blindly followed father's orders. But I heard it for myself, Talia," Ziva whispered. "I heard Ari admit to killing Kate; admit to hating our father so passionately, that he made it his life's mission to ruin him. And then…he turned his gun on Gibbs, and I had no choice…" Ziva's voice broke off. She had not met Talia's eyes during the explanation, but now she looked up and saw the horror and pain and betrayal in her sister's face. "I killed Ari," she whispered, barely audible.

Talia took several deep breaths, her eyes darting wildly from side to side as she tried to process this information. "You're lying…"

"No…I wish I were. I wish Ari had stayed the sweet and funny brother that brought you chocolates and made you laugh. But he was twisted and warped over the years into something…"

"STOP IT!" Talia cried out, and Ziva fell silent. "Stop taking my memories from me! Abba and you and Ari…all of my precious memories that I have carried and nurtured over the years of my family! Those people are not real! My real family is full of murderers and liars and…"

"Monsters," Ziva whispered, tears blurring her vision. Talia's gaze flickered back to her, and she swallowed hard.

"I need…I need a break. I need to think," she said hurriedly, standing up and walking away before Ziva could say anything more. She almost followed but then remembered her promise to Talia that she could leave after the truth was out. So she nodded to Agent Bates and he got up and trailed after her.

_At least she is safe…_Ziva thought, dropping her head into her hands. _Safe but heartbroken._

* * *

><p>How long she sat there, Ziva did not know. But she jumped when an arm suddenly wrapped around her shoulder.<p>

"Bates called," Tony said quietly, and Ziva's heart jumped into her throat as she shot him a panicked look.

"Talia's fine," he offered quickly. "She's back at the apartment now. But he told me it looked like you two had a pretty big bust up."

Ziva dropped her head back down, scrubbing at her red and irritated eyes. "She now knows the whole truth. She knows the monsters her family became."

"You tell her about Ari?" Tony asked, rubbing soothing circles on her back just as Ziva had done for Talia before everything imploded. She simply nodded.

"So she's angry at you for your loyalty to Gibbs after he killed your brother," Tony sighed, shaking his head.

Ziva raised her gaze to meet his; it was so understanding and sympathetic that she had to fight down the urge to be sick. "I can't believe I've never told anyone," she whispered. "But how could I? How could I have looked any of you in the eye ever again if you knew the truth?"

Tony's brow furrowed. His hand stilled on her back as he stared expectantly, waiting for her to continue.

"Gibbs did not kill Ari," she said, so softly he had to lean in to hear it. "I did."

He felt his eyes grow wide at this shocking confession and took a sharp, deep breath. Ziva visibly flinched, as if expecting some kind of verbal or physical rebuttal from him.

"All these years…" He whispered, his voice abandoning him. He put a finger under her chin, trying to make her meet his eyes. "All these years, you've been carrying that around. Jesus Ziva, I'm so sorry."

The understanding and compassion in his voice and in his touch were too much for her to handle. She'd been holding herself together with sheer, stubborn determination for days; it seemed suddenly ironic that Tony's compassion would be her undoing. Her face crumpled and she did not have the strength to stop the coming tears. A sob escaped her lips, and she leaned into him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close as he could on the confines of the bench.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry," she kept repeating. He pressed his cheek against the top of her head; it took everything in his power not to get dragged down into a dangerous spiral by this shocking revelation. So many things that never made sense about Ziva suddenly clicked into place with this one piece of information. He thought back to her early days at NCIS, her close and frankly baffling relationship with Gibbs, her inability to trust anyone. She was far more damaged than even he could have guessed, and now it was out there for the whole world to know.

Including her sister.

"We'll fix it Zi. We'll find a way to make it right."

She wanted to believe his words, but her mind told her some things were too irreparably broken to mend.

* * *

><p>Talia halted her pacing when Tony entered the apartment. She glanced behind him, her brow furrowing, "Where's Ziva?"<p>

"She's at the office. She asked me to come by and check on you," Tony replied, throwing his jacket over the back of an arm chair and leaning against it. "She wanted to give you some space."

Talia nodded and resumed wearing a path in the living room floor. "That's good. I need more time to sort through things before we talk again."

The line of Tony's jaw grew taut, and he spoke before he could stop himself. "This is her apartment in case you've forgotten," he said, his voice suddenly icy.

Talia stopped again, surprised by his tone but matching hers in response. "I will gladly check into a hotel if you feel I have overstayed my welcome."

"Ziva would throw a fit if you left. You're still safer here, and she'd rather give her own life than see you harmed. You should remember that next time you're making her feel like shit."

He watched the emotions play across her face at his stinging remarks - guilt, anger, pain, defiance. "My entire world has been turned upside down!" Looked like she was sticking with anger. "Look at all that I have gone through in the past week. I watched my friend's murder and couldn't stop it. I find my beloved sister alive and well again only to discover that my family is hopelessly broken. Forgive me if I need some time to make sense of it all!"

"Grow up Talia," Tony said harshly, not even pausing as the young woman flinched at his words. "It's been a tough time for her as well, proceeded by a near decade of hell that you can't even begin to imagine. But she's done everything she could to shield you from the pain of the truth."

"You told me yourself you are the root of some of that pain!" She retorted without thinking and then bit her lip. He was right; she was lashing out immaturely, and she could see that even through her anger. "Sorry," she mumbled, sinking onto the sofa.

Tony maintained his rigid posture for a long moment, but he unfroze as Talia's head fell into her hands.

"I wasn't lying," he said in a softer but still forceful voice. "I hurt Ziva deeply and it nearly cost her, her life. So you can understand why I want to shield her from further pain whenever I can."

She turned her head in her hands to look over at him. "You know what she told me today?"

"I do."

"Can you not understand, then?" She asked, her voice pleading. "Why I'm having a hard time? I can't imagine a world in which my sweet, loving big brother could murder someone in cold blood. Or that my Abba could ask Ziva to kill him. Or that she could actually pull the trigger."

Tony studied her for a long moment. "Talia, why did you father tell Ziva and Ari that you were dead?"

She gave him a bewildered look at the sudden change in conversation. "To protect me!" She answered automatically, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

He shook his head. "No, that's why he told you that THEY were dead. To give you a clean break and a fresh start at a safe life. But why not let them in on the secret? What does he gain by telling them you were murdered?"

Tali opened and closed her mouth several times, a trace of uncertainly in her eyes. "I guess I see no reason…" she finally offered in a quiet voice.

"And that's because you thankfully lack your father's Dr. Evil gene," Tony sighed. "Eli groomed Ari and Ziva to be his super soldiers since they were kids. Were you at all surprised when Ziva ended up at Mossad right out of her conscription? But what was the best way to cement their dedication to the cause? To ensure that they would be the cold and emotionless killers that Eli wanted?"

Tali's face twisted, her eyes closing as realization finally hit her. "By telling them I had died in a terrorist attack. Oh God..." she whispered. Tony just nodded.

"Ziva's done some horrible things in her life; she'll be the first to admit it. But she and Ari were abused…for _years_…by your father. They were twisted until they didn't know right from wrong, up from down. And it broke something inside of Ari. He _shot_ my partner Kate right through the forehead. Her blood sprayed all over my face," Tony whispered in a hushed voice. Talia let out a small whimper, shaking her head for him to stop, but he continued. "Your father made him into a monster, Talia. And Ziva still had enough humanity left in her to stop him…even if it meant killing her own flesh and blood."

Talia was crying now, silently but earnestly. Tony sighed, pushing away from the chair to crouch down in front of her. He took her chin in his hand, waiting until she looked at him.

"Ziva didn't want to tell you the truth," he said gently. "She wanted you to keep your happy memories of Ari and Eli…and even of herself…Your sister would lay down her life to avoid causing you pain. Please remember that when she comes home."

With that, he rose silently and, with one more nod of his head in her direction, left her alone with her thoughts.

* * *

><p>It was late and Talia was asleep by the time Ziva returned. She had wandered around the office until Gibbs pointed at the elevator and simply said "<em>Home<em>!" She hadn't wanted to face another round of Talia's anger and disappointment. She was too afraid, too tired; not that she would ever let such an admission pass through her stubborn lips. She wished there was some fixed point in time to which she could return and untangle this mess, but it was with weary resignation she realized that it would have to be before her own birth.

It was after one before she fell into a fitful sleep and barely three when a noise roused her from it. She sat up, perfectly still, as her ears strained for further disturbances. _Probably Talia or Agent Griffiths, _she told herself, but her hand was ignoring the rationalizations and already reaching for a gun. The sudden shouts and unmistakable whistle of bullets fired through a silencer sounded loud in her carefully attuned ears, catapulting her out of bed and toward the hallway. Talia appeared in her doorway, her face sleepy and confused, "What -"

More shouts then as something smashed against the front door. Ziva grabbed Talia's arm, sprinting across the apartment towards the kitchen. "Fire escape!" She yelled. They were halfway across the living room when the wood splintered, two canisters sailing through in a graceful arc.

"Get down!" Ziva screamed, pulling Talia to the ground behind the couch and throwing herself over the younger woman. A second later, the room exploded in sound and light. Through the ringing in her ears, Ziva peered, dazed, over the top of the couch to see three men in full gear entering the smoke-filled room. Despite the haze and stars still blooming across her vision, she fired three shots, one hitting her target just above the vest. He dropped like a stone as she crouched down again, a spray of bullets exploding over their heads from the other two gunmen.

Ziva had seven clips hidden throughout her apartment and she swore loudly when she realized that not a single one was within reach. She had two above her fridge, if they could just make it that far…

The shooting ceased and she whispered urgently, "I don't have enough rounds to waste. You have to make a run for the kitchen. I will cover you."

Talia's terrified expression turned Ziva's stomach. "I can't!"

"You must! I will be right behind you, I promise. Now GO!"

She gave a little shove at Talia's back and stood up as much as she dared. Her aim was that of a professional killer, but so was theirs. She got off exactly five shots, the last finding its mark in one gunman's shoulder, before she felt a searing heat tear through her right side, a bullet traveling cleanly through the back of the sofa and then her skin. She cried out automatically but the pain was second to horror as she saw Talia pause in the kitchen doorway and turn back to her.

"NO! KEEP GOING!" Ziva gasped, fighting to stand again, but her body betrayed her and collapsed. She glanced down and was momentarily surprised by the amount of blood she could already see pooling on the dark floor. _Too late! _a panicked voice in her head screamed as she tried to push herself up, gun shaking in her hand. One gunman ran forward then as the other let loose another volley of bullets over Ziva's head. She heard Talia cry out and pulled herself up frantically until she could just see around the corner of the couch. One of the men grabbed Talia around the waist and dragged her towards the front door. She was kicking and fighting for all she was worth, but with absolute desperation, Ziva realized that the well-sheltered girl had never learned how to defend herself.

The bullets didn't stop until the men were back out in the apartment corridor. Ziva bolted from behind the couch and made it two steps before her legs gave out. With a cry of fury, she tried again but couldn't even get to her feet. She fought for a deep breath and willed the darkness at the edges of her vision to recede, but she couldn't stop it. She crawled exactly three feet before she was overcome by sudden and inescapable blackness.

* * *

><p><strong>Ooooo cliffhangers! *evil grin* I kinda love 'em. But I shan't make the wait too long!<strong>

**Did I mention reviews make the world go round? :)**


	10. Chapter 10

It was no surprise really that Ziva returned to consciousness fighting. She felt strong hands clasp around her ankles and another two at her wrists.

"Ziva stop struggling!" Came a familiar voice. Her eyes flew open and she had to blink several times before the blurry shapes and faces around her focused.

"Tali!" She panted, her eyes taking in the scene. She was still on the floor in her apartment, surrounded now by cops and paramedics. Gibbs was standing by the door talking to her neighbor and Tony was crouching at her head.

"We're gonna find her, Ziva," he said forcefully, loosening his hold on her wrists but not releasing them. "But you need to keep still...the bullet clipped your side and you lost a lot of blood…" His hands automatically tightened again as she ignored him completely and fought to sit up. Gibbs came over, putting a firm hand to her shoulder, and she tried to hide a wince of pain from the movement.

He spoke calmly, steel eyes piercing brown. "We've got one body and McGee and Ducky are on their way to collect the evidence. Abby is waiting in her lab to process everything we can find. I've got a BOLO out on the entire East Coast. We can handle this; you are no good to Talia if you don't get fixed up."

She stopped struggling but took a few shallow, painful, breaths. "There were three men total, heavily armed."

Gibbs nodded, "Your neighbor told us. She saw them from her peephole and called 911."

"Lucky Mrs. Devereaux knows Gibbs is your emergency contact," Tony said, glancing to the fretful older woman standing in the hallway and talking to another officer.

"I killed one and shot another through the left shoulder. They grabbed Talia and...and I passed out. How long -"

Gibbs interrupted, his voice soft and reassuring. "It's only been about thirty minutes, Ziver. We've got a good jump on this. Now you need to just shut up and do what the paramedics tell you. The sooner you're better, the sooner you can help on the case. That's an order." He nodded to Tony, "Stay with her."

"No!" Ziva argued again. "You need help processing-"

Gibbs gave her a slightly exasperated look. "This way you can give Tony a full account of what happened and once you're settled in and taken care of, he will come back to the Yard. Good enough?"

The two men exchanged a look that Ziva knew well, and she could see that they were just placating her. But she was too upset and having a hard time focusing so she simply nodded, closed her eyes, and began the rundown of events as the paramedics lifted her to a stretcher and wheeled her from the room.

* * *

><p>"What am I doing back he-"<p>

Stankic didn't even finish the sentence before Gibbs grabbed him by the collar, wrenching him out of the chair and slamming him into the wall. The observation room was empty, the normal hum from the surveillance cameras conspicuously absent.

"_Who grabbed our witness?"_ He yelled.

"Wh...What are you talking about?" Stankic stammered, holding up cuffed hands.

Gibbs registered the genuine surprise in the man's eyes, but it did little to deter his anger. "Three armed men just came after her. _I wanna know why._"

"I don't know! After our last contact, we never heard ba-"

"_What was in the information you gave them on her?"_

"N...nothing!" Stankic yelped as Gibbs slammed him against he wall once more. He began speaking quickly. "Her name, physical attributes….information on where she went to school, who her friends were. Her...her address in London, her old school schedule, some old photos…"

Gibbs loosened his grip minutely. "Old photos?"

Stankic nodded desperately, grasping onto the chance to be useful. "Family photos from some old album in her bedroom. We thought maybe our people could find a relative for leverage but our research indicated her family died in a car crash..."

Gibbs shoved away from Stankic, turning quickly to the door. He tried to find a way around the implications in his head as he stood impatiently punching the elevator button. He pulled out his cell phone and hit the speed-dial for Tony, but he was distracted as the doors opened and a figure exiting the elevator ran right into him. He reached out his hands, gripping Abby's arms to keep her from toppling over.

"What is it Abs?" He asked quietly, steering her back into the elevator as he smacked the button for the main floor.

"I got a hit on the shooter that Ziva killed," she whispered, her voice wavering.

"Another Nula Osam?"

Abby's pigtails gently smacked her face as she shook her head.

"No, his name is Tariq al-Fulan…" Gibbs' eyes narrowed and Abby chewed her lip for a moment before continuing. "He's a known member of Hamas."

Gibbs closed his eyes. He wasn't that surprised; not after Stankic's revelation just moments before, but the confirmation still settled in his gut like lead.

Abby's timid voice broke into his thoughts. "Gibbs...Gibbs, I don't think they were after Natalia Argandoña, witness..."

"No," Gibbs said grimly. "No, they were after Talia David, daughter of Mossad Director Eli David."

* * *

><p>Tony's voice was the first thing she registered in her slow return to consciousness.<p>

"_You sure? Has Vance tried calling...yeah, yeah I'm sure he did…."_

He was keeping his voice low - probably to ensure she could not hear him - but she dragged her eyelids open. He was standing by the small window in the otherwise dark room, his back to her, but she could see the tension radiating from his shoulders. "Yeah, got it boss. I'll head back as soon as she's awake."

"I am awake," she offered hoarsely as he snapped the phone closed and turned to her. He didn't have his poker face quite set before doing so, and she saw his moment of panic before the carefully neutral expression settled in place.

"So you are. Feel okay? The nurses doped you up against your wishes, but they were getting a little tired of the constant threats of bodily harm."

"What do we know?"

"You were lucky," he continued, ignoring or purposefully misinterpreting her question. "The bullet went out of its way to miss anything vital. You should be up and around in no time."

"Forget me, what do we know on the _case_."

Rather than taking the chair, he sat carefully down on the bed next to her. She took that as a bad sign, already trying to sit up straighter.

"Ziva…"

"Tony, I swear to God if you don't tell me right now-"

He silenced her with a look that was eerily Gibbsesque.

"They've identified the dead shooter from the terrorist watch list."

"Nula Osam…"

"No."

"What do you mean no, Tony! Those were not some petty thugs breaking and entering...those were highly trained assassins!"

"I know, I just meant that they're not Osams -"

"Then _who?_"

Tony took a deep breath and met her angry stare head-on. "The man you killed was Hamas, Ziva."

The word rang loudly in the dark and otherwise quiet room.

"No…" The word forced its way out, taking all the air from her lungs with it.

"Gibbs...Gibbs thinks they grabbed Talia because they found out who she really is..."

She closed her eyes, her own words from just a few days before drowning out what Tony was saying.

_The Osams have alliances with Palestinian terrorists; they are watched carefully at Mossad._

"...thinks that Crncevic Junior offered up Talia's ID and location to Hamas in order to strengthen their allegiance and his new position of power." She tuned back into Tony's rundown and began shaking her head.

"But _why_? Why now? She is not Eli's only daughter and no one has tried to come after me since I was a child!"

Tony hesitated, his mouth agape as his face twisted. Ziva groaned as realization hit her a second later, and she answered her own question.

"Because I can take care of myself and it's widely known that Eli does not value _my_ life...I know…" She raised a shaking hand to her head and tried to focus despite the wretched drugs coursing through her veins. She reached down and ripped the IV line out of her arm.

Tony winced, quickly holding a sheet against the bloody spot. "That was mostly antibiotics, you know. I told them to back off with the morphine."

"What did Eli say?" She continued, ignoring him as she tried to sit up again. He pressed a button and waited as the bed folded in on itself.

"Said he'd be in touch when he knows more. He shut out Gibbs and Vance and isn't returning their calls right now."

"Where's my phone, I need to try-"

"Ziva, we're doing everything we can from here-"

"NO! Don't you see, Tony?" She yelled suddenly. "There's nothing we _can_ do! Nothing we can offer them. They're trying to blackmail Eli, and he will never meet their demands. Not even for Talia!"

She looked around the dark room, trying to find a bag or her clothes. She'd leave in the goddamned hospital gown if it came to it. She gingerly swung her legs over the edge of the bed, hissing through the pain. "Our only hope is finding her before they realize that. I am checking myself out. If you won't drive me, I will call a cab."

"Ziva, you _just _had surgery; they'll never let you-" He broke off at her expression and just sighed. "At least let me get a doctor to look you over and prescribe some meds, okay? Then I'll take you to work, where Gibbs will promptly kick your ass. Then mine. Then probably yours again."

"I'll take my chances," Ziva sighed, laying back against the bed as he pressed the call button.

* * *

><p>Gibbs glanced up at the <em>ding<em> of the elevator, his eyes narrowing when he saw two figures marching into the bullpen. He should have known better than to leave Tony with Ziva; he would always give her what she wanted.

Tony's expression was contrite, but it paled beside the bull-headed determination shining through Ziva's obvious pain. "What do we know?"

He glared at her for several long seconds, before turning to McGee and giving a nod.

"Abby ID'd the man you shot as Tariq al-Fulan," he tapped his computer and a photo appeared on the plasma. "Palestinian, suspected to have been in the country since '03, he was part of a cell that attempted to blow up a power plant outside of Maryland in '05. FBI arrested two other men at the time, but al-Fulan went underground."

"Until last night," Ziva said harshly, taking the clicker from McGee and watching intently as the photo switched over from the DHS bulletin to a picture of a now-dead Tariq on her living room floor. "Anything on the other two shooters?"

"No. We got a blood sample from the one you shot in the shoulder, but no matches yet. We've gone over all the security footage from your building and the street. They had a black Econoline waiting in the alley; plates are stolen."

"BOLO?"

McGee nodded. "Came back about an hour ago. They found the van abandoned down on Fenton and King. Vance sent Coleman's team to process the scene."

"The won't leave any evidence behind," Ziva muttered to herself as she clicked through the photos. "Is Agent Griffiths..." She asked suddenly, landing on the shots from her apartment building hallway.

Gibbs just shook his head. "Killed instantly. Never heard 'em coming."

Ziva sighed, unable to help as a sliver of her repressed emotions broke through. She leaned against McGee's desk and rubbed a hand over her face. "Tali really liked Jon. He was a good agent."

She looked back to Gibbs, who was studying her intently, and made an effort to stand up straight. She wasn't about to give him any reason to send her home, or worse, back to the hospital. "What did Eli have to say?"

Gibbs scowled. "He wouldn't even talk to Vance, let alone me. He had some lackey brief us in MTAC. Said they'd handle it and 'let us know' when Hamas makes their demands.

Ziva chewed on her lip as she stared off into space. "He may actually mean that. I do not think he would let his pride get in the way of sharing information that may help Talia. And he may try to stall, but he will _not_ negotiate with them. Whatever their demands, he will never meet them."

"Then we'll find her before it comes to that, Ziver," Gibbs said softly.

She nodded. "Okay. I am going to get in touch with my contacts-"

"No," Gibbs interrupted. "You are going to go see Ducky so he can tell me how much trouble DiNozzo is in for letting you check yourself out of the hospital. Then, if he says you can manage it, you are going to sit here quietly and type up your incident report."

She gaped at him, her expression turning indignant. "Gibbs, my connections can prove invaluable-"

"Those are my terms. Take 'em or leave 'em."

She glared at him for several seconds more before stalking off to the elevators without another word. Tony watched her go before glancing at Gibbs. "Ziva's got connections everywhere, boss. We may want to take advantage of that."

Gibbs shook his head. "Talia's kidnapping is not a fact I want to advertise, no matter how discreet her sources. Plus most of those ties were made during her Mossad days, and I don't trust anyone right now with a connection to Eli or that entire organization. We'll save it as a last resort, but right now let's try doing our own goddamnded job. Go see if Coleman's team has brought the evidence back to Abby yet."

* * *

><p><strong>I'm no medical expert, so just go with the whole TV suspension of disbelief if Ziva's hospital stay seemed a little abrupt. Besides, I don't think it's a <em>huge<em> stretch that she could/would check herself out so quickly with a few stitches in her side...**

**The real world is about to get in my way a bit, so please be patient and I will update as soon as I can! Thanks for reading :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Car accident, work, screwed up wrist, work, Season 9 episodes begging to be tagged, planning a family trip to Disneyland, 20K words of a random sci-fi plot bunny, and work! **

**There is the incredibly abbreviated excuse of where I've been the last two months...my apologies for the long delay but I'm back now and dedicated to giving this story the finish it deserves. Thanks to all those who stuck in there on my hiatus. :)**

**Small reminder: this takes place fall of 2010, meaning Season eight (and specifically Enemies Foreign/Domestic) never happened.**

* * *

><p>Ducky okayed Ziva's continued presence at the Navy Yard, but Gibbs strongly suspected that he did so under duress or following an impressive guilt-trip from a very persuasive probationary Agent. In any case, she had quickly typed up her ROI and escaped Gibbs' watchful eye by offering to help Abby process what discouragingly little evidence they had. Tony was hovering close by, and she would have yelled at him for being Gibbs' spy if she wasn't so grateful for his comforting presence.<p>

She was squinting at a bag of minute, rusty metal shavings scraped from the soles of al-Fulan's shoes when she heard Tony's phone ring. He squinted down at the caller ID, confusion evident on his face, before answering with a simple: _DiNozzo. _From her periphery, she saw his expression freeze and turned to stare at him. His eyes never left hers as he said a few curt words and then held the phone out.

"For you."

Her brow furrowed as she took it and offered a terse, "David."

"Ziva."

Recognition came instantly, and she stood too quickly from the stool, wincing as the movement pulled at the stitches in her side. "Amit?"

He spoke in low and rushed tones; she found her native tongue comforting at the moment. "I do not have long before your father is back. Tali's kidnappers just made contact with Eli and are demanding the release of a dozen different prisoners in exchange for her life."

"Eli will never agree to that," Ziva said, anguish creeping into her voice.

"No, he will not. He is desperately trying to find her, but he is also keeping the circle tight and therefore our resources are limited."

"But why?"

"You know why," Amit said hurriedly. She ran a tired hand over her eyes and nodded to herself; of course she knew. Eli was first and foremost a strategist. If word got out that the Director had sacrificed his youngest daughter at the hands of terrorists - however reluctantly and in the name of the 'greater good' - it would irreparably tarnish his reputation.

She grimaced, pacing back and forth as Tony and Abby watched in confusion. "What can we do?"

"The ransom demand came on your father's secure phone. They will be making contact again in three hours for confirmation that the demands were met. We haven't been able to back-trace the number, but perhaps you will have more luck."

A prickling desperation filled Ziva. Three hours. She only had three hours until her sister died. It wasn't enough time. "Our people are good, but we can't hack into Eli's cell that quickly."

"You can if I give you the number and access codes."

She stopped pacing abruptly. "Amit...if he ever finds out…"

"Ziva," his voice was suddenly unsteady, regretful. "I knew. About Tali. I was the one who helped your father set up her new identity. We thought we were protecting her, but I turned a blind-eye when Eli used it to his advantage. I saw how it destroyed you, and I saw that it was a mistake. I will not stand by and let you lose her again."

Ziva bit her lip. She had grown up with Amit Hadar nearby. He had started as a bodyguard for the family, moving quickly up the ranks to Eli's right hand man. He had been there for Tali's birth, their mother's death, Ziva's training. Outside of Michael Rivken, he was the man she had trusted most at Mossad, including her father.

But she would never forgive Amit for Michael. And she would never forgive him for Somalia. During those long weeks spent bleeding into dirt and concrete, she held out hope that he would find her long after she had given up on Eli. So afterwards, she wrote him off as just another man from her old life, someone who had valued her skills and discarded her without thought.

Until now.

She shook away the thoughts and hurried to Abby's side. "I'm handing you over to Abby; you can give her all of the information. And Amit..._thank you_."

"Good luck, Ziva."

* * *

><p>The knock on the door was perfunctory at best; Gibbs was already speaking as he strode in and thrust a paper on the Director's desk. "Need your permission to commandeer MTAC for the day."<p>

Leon looked up curiously, but no further explanation came from the mute agent. "For?"

"Some new intel came in on Talia's kidnapping and McGee and Sciuto need more powerful networking computer doo-dads to process the information. Don't want to trouble you with the details."

Vance leaned back in his chair, folding his hands across his lap. "Considering it's one of NCIS' most powerful assets, I need more than _new intel _and _doo-dads_ Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs scowled impatiently. "We need to hack into the Mossad Director's personal cellphone to try and trace the source of a ransom demand."

Vance nodded politely and fought hard to repress his smirk. "That's it?"

"Should do it."

He studied Gibbs for another long moment. "So, in other words Agent Gibbs, you are following a credible lead on a Hamas terrorist cell that is responsible for killing a federal agent, wounding another, and kidnapping a witness in the murder of a United States Marine?"

The corner of Gibbs' mouth twitched upwards; leave it to the Director to find the politically correct spin. "Yes sir, that about sums it up."

"Well then that's good enough for me," Vance said simply, scrawling his name on the piece of paper and handing it back to him. "You have full and discretionary use of all resources available to you."

Gibbs simply nodded but paused at the door, glancing back. "You're not worried how some of your friends may react if they find out about this, Leon?"

Vance looked up over his reading glasses and gave a small sigh. "After a while Gibbs, one has to reconsider who he counts as his friends."

* * *

><p>Ziva was pacing again; back and forth, back and forth for nearly twenty minutes. Tony stood beside Gibbs and watched her, wondering if she was wearing a literal track in the industrial carpet. The lights were always so low in MTAC, maybe no one would ever notice…<p>

"What is taking so long?" Ziva's curt question shook him from his musings.

"Amit's information saved us a lot of time, but still, the number the kidnappers called from was highly encrypted. We just need another few minutes and we should have something," McGee shot over his shoulder, not pausing in his frenzied typing.

Clearly frustrated with the answer, Ziva turned on her heel to glare at Tony. "Anything on the BOLOs?"

He shook his head and answered quietly. "Just checked them five minutes ago. Nothing new."

She looked ready to say something more, but Gibbs cut her off. "Check in with Ducky and see if he got anything else off the body," he said calmly but firmly.

She scowled at him but strode over to one of the phones and punched in the extension for autopsy. Gibbs sighed and exchanged a knowing glance with Tony. They could see she was about to keel over from exhaustion, could see the small darkened spots on her shirt where her wound was still seeping. It was clear to anyone watching that the normally cool and collected Agent David was a ticking time bomb, becoming more frantic with every passing minute, and neither of them were quite sure what to expect when the timer hit zero.

"Ducky found trace elements of something under al-Fulan's fingernails. Jimmy just brought it to the lab," Ziva reported, hanging the phone up with undue force.

Abby just nodded without looking at her. "Okay, Mr. MassSpec will be done with those metal flecks soon, I'll run those as soon as we break through this last…uh oh."

"Uh oh _what_, Abby," Gibbs demanded as they all moved to peer over her shoulder.

"Boss, we were able to decrypt the number but it looks like it was a VoIP call," Tim sighed.

"So? Can't you ping the tower or something?" Gibbs prodded and Abby stared patiently at him.

"We've been over this before Gibbs. VoIP calls are nearly impossible to trace, even when the line is active. The phone is switched off right now."

"There has to be _something_ you can do!" Ziva jumped in.

McGee stared at his computer screen for several seconds; they could practically see his brain spinning through the possibilities. "When the line is active again, we may be able to pick up the call when it joins the PSTN and trace it back through to the original provider. But it depends on how many servers they route through."

"Well we have the number, why not call them ourselves?" Ziva challenged, her cellphone already in her hand.

McGee shook his head. "I need at least sixty seconds to run the trace."

"I can think of some way to stall them that long!" She countered.

"No," Gibbs said firmly. "They're expecting Eli; you call and we run the risk of spooking them. They may change phones or move locations."

"But-"

"_Or _they jump the gun on the deadline and kill Talia."

"Gibbs!"

He silenced her with an impatient glare before looking to his other agents. "McGee, do whatever you need to do to prepare for the trace. They'll be calling back in -" he glanced to his watch "-ninety minutes. Abby, go check in with your machines and see if they've found anything." He turned the full weight of his stare onto Ziva then.

"Take a break. Get some food. Have Ducky check your stitches, and then find a place to put your head down for a few minutes." She opened her mouth but he cut her off with a growl. "You are exhausted and unfocused and I won't have it jeopardize this case."

He could see her anger boiling just below the surface as she crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "I think my time would be better served running down-"

"It wasn't a goddamned request David! You are no good to me like this! Now get out of here before I have you thrown out!"

"_Go to hell Gibbs_!" She yelled suddenly, slamming her palm on the desk. Gibbs glared at Tony, who stepped forward and gently reached for her elbow, but she ripped it away from his grasp and stormed towards the door.

"On it," Tony said quietly, trailing after her. Gibbs stared at the empty space left by his two agents for several seconds and tried to ignore the exhaustion gnawing away at the edges of his concentration. He turned around to see McGee's pale and stricken face in the dark room.

"Boss?" he asked timidly.

He just shook his head at the younger man's concerned tone. "Let me know as soon as they call."

McGee turned back to the computer, leaving Gibbs alone to his thoughts. Thoughts of a conversation with Ziva, so many years ago, over another angry and battered agent who craved retaliation. She had said that Paula Cassidy needed a target and an outlet for her anger, and Ziva didn't care if she hated her in the end.

He just hoped that she would remember that when this was all over.

* * *

><p><strong>I have the rest well mapped out so it shouldn't take me too long. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts, even if it's to tear apart my incredibly non-technical knowledge of VoIP calls and traces and the PSTN! :)<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**You are all amazing, thank you for your wonderful reviews for chapter 11! **

* * *

><p>Tony found her in the empty conference room. He recognized the irony that it was the same place where she and Talia had sat reacquainting themselves just days before. He stood close behind her, watching in the window's reflection as a few wayward tears tracked down her cheeks.<p>

"It's only a little longer till they call back. McGee will have everything ready for the trace and Abby is down in the lab right now looking for answers," he said softly. When she showed no signs of responding he tried again. "Gibbs is an ass."

She sighed then, allowing herself to lean back against him ever so slightly. "No, he is not. He just knows me too well," she whispered. Tony wasn't sure he completely understood, but she seemed unwilling to elaborate, and so he let it go.

She was silent for nearly a minute, startling him when she spoke again. "I left it better the first time."

"What?"

"When Tali supposedly died before. I had talked to her on the phone just that morning. I was kidding her about a boy, and we laughed. I told her I loved her dearly and would call as soon as I could," her voice choked off slightly and she shook her head. "There was always solace in the fact that those were my final words to my sister. I never had to worry over our last conversation or try to remember the last time I said 'I love you,' as others do when they lose someone. Until now…"

"She knows you love her."

"But yesterday our argument was filled with so much anger and pain," she continued, clearly intent on torturing herself.

"Do you regret Talia coming back into your life?"

Ziva turned towards him, startled. "Of course not. But she may-"

He shook his head. "In the short time I've known Talia, I'm positive that she wouldn't trade the knowledge that you're still alive for any of the romanticized memories she used to have of your family."

She took a deep breath, and he could see she was trying to believe his words. "You are a good partner, Tony," she whispered, reaching a hand up to pat his stubbly cheek. Without thinking and because it felt like the most natural thing in the world, he turned his lips into her palm, kissing it gently, comfortingly. Her eyes snapped opened, brow creasing as she stared at him.

"I'm sorry," he apologized automatically. "I didn't mean to…"

Her mouth was on his quicker than he would have thought possible. His lips parted automatically for her greedy tongue, his body pressing against hers as she ran clutching, urgent fingers through his hair.

He indulged in the feeling for several long seconds before pushing her away gently and taking a deep breath. She met his surprised and confused expression with one of her own, any apologies or explanations seemingly stalled somewhere behind that tempting mouth.

"Huh," she finally forced out, a hand coming up absentmindedly to rub across her lips.

That one syllable seemed to shatter the silence, and as suddenly as the tension came between them, it was gone. Tony's face twisted with a grimace. "Not really the reaction I want after kissing someone."

She chuckled softly, "_I_ kissed _you_, Tony. I don't know what came over me…"

"You're exhausted and suffering from blood loss; you're allowed some inexplicably foolish moments."

"So what is your excuse for kissing me back?" she countered with a small smile.

He considered that one for a moment. "Actually, I'm going to stick with the same explanation."

"You are suffering from blood loss?"

"In a manner of speaking…"

She scoffed, punching him lightly in the shoulder but her tired eyes were grateful. Gibbs had given her an outlet for her simmering anger, and now Tony was providing her with a few moments of much needed distraction. She truly loved this strange little adopted family.

The levity between them ebbed away in comfortable silence, and with a glance at her watch, Ziva felt the weight of the situation settle on her once more. She turned back to the windows and felt him shift even closer, almost subconsciously, in his unfailing promise to always have her back.

"I am scared," she admitted quietly. "I know my father will try to stall for more time, but what if he cannot? What happens if we somehow manage to trace the call, but we are still too late to save her?"

Tony skipped the canned platitudes and assurances; they were both realists, and they both knew the odds. Instead his hands rubbed gently at her shoulders, and he offered her the only truth he could. "We're gonna do everything in our power to get her back, Zi."

* * *

><p>Gibbs was just returning with yet another cup of coffee when his cell buzzed.<p>

"Boss!" McGee's hurried voice came over the line, "The phone is on. They just sent a text to Director David."

"Slow down McGee, I'm just outside," Gibbs muttered, hanging up and leaning forward for the iris scanner into MTAC. He checked his watch; they were an hour early.

"What's the message?"

Tim glanced back at him. "It's in Arabic, we need Ziva."

Gibbs brought the phone back to his ear and barked a quick, "Both of you back here, now." He put a hand to the back of McGee's chair, squinting down at the screen. "Can you trace it?"

Tim shook his head. "I was set up for a call, not texts. But with the phone on, I may be able to…"

"Don't care how. Just do it McGee."

Tony and Ziva burst through the door a second later, Gibbs glancing back at them.

"Translate," he said simply nodding towards the Arabic script displayed on MTAC's main screen.

"They're saying _time's up_," Ziva said. "But they are early!"

"Call Mossad and tell David to stall," Gibbs barked, and Tony pulled out his phone.

"Eli's responding," McGee cut in.

The reply came in English, flashing onto the screen. _We had an agreement. I still have one more hour._

"Hadar isn't answering," Tony growled. Ziva grabbed the phone from him and pressed redial even as the response came from the kidnappers, now in English to match Eli's.

_You have had hours and yet we see no signs of progress._

"C'mon," Ziva whispered, swearing when the voicemail picked up. She hung up, dialing again and stared helplessly as the texts continued.

_Perhaps you've forgotten which daughter we've got._

A moment later a low quality picture flashed on the screen. Talia, tied to a chair, tear tracks evident on her dirty face. A ghostly figure loomed behind her, a hand holding a menacing blade to her throat_._

"_McGee_!"

"They're bouncing the signal through six countries so far, I need them to keep the phone on."

"Ziva," the sudden growling in her ear startled her; she had already forgotten the cell in her hand. Amit's voice was low and rushed. "I do not have time! The Prime Minister found out and has ordered the Deputy Director to relieve Eli from duty and shut down all negotiations…"

"You put this phone to my father's ear Hadar! _Achshav_!"

She could hear his momentary hesitation before a scramble of sound and her father's sudden, bewildered voice.

"You stall them," Ziva ordered even as another text appeared before them.

_Your youngest child. _

"Ziva, how did you-"

_The one you protected. The one you loved enough to hide._

"We are close to tracing their location," she interrupted. "But you must convince them you will concede, and you must buy us that hour!"

"I don't know that I can..."

_It would be a shame Director if all that effort, all that sacrifice was for nothing._

"Please Abba!" she choked out.

"Ziva, I am so-"

Her father's words were masked by a flurry of sound. Shouts. Eli's voice, angry and indignant, was suddenly much further away before the call cut off abruptly.

The phone dropped from her fingers as she realized what was happening. "McGee stop!" She yelled, all eyes snapping to her. "I need you to reroute the messages to us directly. Cut my father's phone out of the loop. Can you do it?"

He hesitated only a moment before grabbing Tony and pulling him over to the desk. "Just keep hitting these buttons," Tim instructed, sliding over a computer to resume his frantic typing.

Tony and Gibbs were staring at her, and she answered their silent questions without tearing her eyes from McGee's screen. "They've relieved my father of duty, and they are done negotiating."

A final text appeared from the kidnappers, just two simple words.

_Well Director?_

"Okay, I'm in," Tim said, sitting back. "They still think they're talking to Eli. Now what do we say?"

Ziva took a shaky breath, her entire body vibrating from the adrenaline. It was suddenly silent in the large room, save for the the thundering of blood in her ears. Gibbs took a step towards her, gripping her arm tightly.

"Pull it together, Ziver. Take a deep breath." She complied, closing her eyes for a long second. "You need to respond. What would Eli say?"

Her eyes snapped back open, and she straightened up, her gaze fixing on the screen where the picture of Talia remained.

"McGee, type _exactly_ what I say. _Harm my daughter, and I will line up every one of the names on your list, plus another dozen of my own choosing, and put a bullet through their heads. I am not a man to make idle threats. Now we had an agreement. One more hour and your demands will be met. Otherwise, we are done here_."

She watched her message appear on the screen, fighting the waves of nausea and apprehension as they waited.

_One more hour._

Ziva almost sobbed in relief at the final message, her fingers gripping tightly on Gibbs' arm for a brief moment.

"Line's dead!" McGee called, pushing Tony's chair aside and rolling back to his original computer. "Got a fix to Rockville, Maryland, radius of about ten city blocks." A map replaced the texts on screen, though Ziva could still see the picture of Talia behind her eyelids.

"That's it?" she whispered.

McGee's expression was apologetic, "Best we could do given the circumstances."

"It's better than what we had," Gibbs asserted. "Gear up and get local PD involved. That's an industrial neighborhood and a lot of space to cover." The others jumped up, following him out of MTAC when the door opened and Abby rushed in.

She waved a fistful of papers in his face, it looked like the breakdown of some chemical compound. "GibbsGibbsGibbs!"

Gibbs nodded for the others to go ahead without him. "Calm down; whadya got Abs."

"The metal we took off al-Fulan's shoes, they are shavings of copper with a coating that is unique to the manufacturing of certain circuit boards."

"Circuit boards can be from anything."

She shook her head quickly, "No! Not when you combine it with the trace elements Ducky found under the fingernails. I just got the results and there is an abnormally high concentration of lead and phosphors. You would only find those three elements in Cathode Ray Tubes."

"Like in TVs or computer screens," Gibbs said patiently, even as he silently willed her to hurry up.

"Right! CRTs are a dying technology though, almost everything is LCD and plasma now, so they don't really manufacture them anymore. More likely this came from a _recycling_ plant. It's a really really tricky process though; only a handful of warehouses are licensed in the area."

"We traced the phone to somewhere in Rockville, find us the plant," he said, hurriedly kissing her cheek and jogging for the door. "That's good work Abs!" he called over his shoulder.

Gibbs took a deep breath and glanced at his watch; fifty-eight minutes. _We've got the location, we've got some time,_ he thought to himself as he punched the elevator button. _Now all we need is a little luck..._

* * *

><p><strong>I'm glad you all liked the callback to Paula Cassidy...Grace Period is a favorite episode of mine. I know it looks like Ziva forgave Gibbs pretty quickly, but I truly think that even in her state of mind, she would have recognized what he was doing. There are so, so many similarities between the two that she just gets him and vice versa. Doesn't mean she's not still a bit ticked off, and they'll talk about it again before the story is done.<strong>

**I'll be working on the next chapter all day and will post it sometime next week. Thanks, as always, for reading! :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**This was supposed to be two chapters, but it didn't split well, so you're getting a nice long one for the weekend!**

* * *

><p>Later, Gibbs would question the wisdom in letting Ziva drive to Rockville, but he was relieved and thankful when they all arrived quickly (and intact) at the address Abby had texted them. They parked behind a neighboring building and studied the decrepit warehouse, abandoned since the recycling plant closed down in '08.<p>

"Local PD is in place a block away," Tony reported quietly when they exited the car. "You want them to move in?"

Gibbs shook his head. "No, I want eyes on Talia first. McGee you're on the main entrance. You two go around back. I'm on the roof."

The large windows on the ground floor were grimy, providing them the cover needed for an invisible approach. McGee crouched behind a pile of rubble, peeking into the space through a broken pane. "I don't see anyone on the main floor."

The bay doors around back were closed and padlocked, but a small service door stood beside them. Tony pressed his ear to it, listening intently. "I can't hear anyone." Ziva nodded, picking the lock.

"I'm in position," Gibbs said, peering down through a filthy skylight into the open space. "I've got two suspects on the second lofted level, northeast corner. No sign of Talia. McGee, hold your position. You two, proceed inside."

He watched them enter, waiting until they had found cover within the warehouse before running over to the stairs' roof access.

There was a staircase in the northwest corner, exposed and open, and Tony nodded for Ziva to start up it as he covered her. Luckily a bank of massive, rusted machines bisected the second story, providing some cover as they crouched at the top of the landing. They could hear raised voices now as they crept closer, echoing loudly in the cavernous space.

"They are arguing," Ziva murmured. "They've heard whisperings from inside Mossad that my father was removed from duty. They are discussing whether to kill Tali and go underground."

"Do you have a visual yet on Talia?" Gibbs asked in her ear.

Ziva peeked over a rusted power shear until she could just see the two men. "No. There is a door behind them; perhaps an old office? There is a window into the space but the blinds are drawn. Gibbs, if you make some noise, distract one or both of them, I can probably get close enough to-"

She broke off at the sudden sound of shots and yelling from outside.

"A third suspect, taking fire!" McGee yelled into the earwigs as they heard him return fire.

Gibbs swore loudly, jumping the last half flight of stairs. "Hold on McGee, on my way!" _Well, that'll bring the cavalry around_, he thought silently, hoping they wouldn't end up in a hostage situation - or worse.

Tony swung his gun around the machinery in tandem with Ziva, taking aim at the two confused suspects. One lunged for an MP5 sitting on a dusty desk, but Ziva emptied half a clip into his back before he could even turn around. Tony shot at the other man, hitting him in the thigh, but he managed to burst through the office door, slamming it shut behind him.

"Shit!" Tony yelled as he and Ziva closed in on the space. She kicked the gun away from the dead suspect, ducking quickly behind the desk when a spray of bullets shattered the window from inside the office. When it stopped, she nodded to Tony, who picked up a chair, hurling it through the window. The remaining shards of glass and twisted blinds fell to the floor inside the small space, giving them a clear visual of the suspect standing in the corner of the room - his body shielded behind Talia's quivering frame. Tony and Ziva remained kneeling behind the desk, guns steadied on the top, as the man began screaming at them.

Tony couldn't understand the words, or the ones Ziva yelled back, but he got the general gist. He wanted them to lower their weapons, or he'd shoot Talia. Ziva sounded disinclined to agree. Gibbs was barking questions into their ears, the wailing sirens announcing the arrival of their back up. Talia's whimpering sobs pierced straight through him every time he heard her over the cacophony of sounds.

Ziva was also distantly aware of the other noises, of Tony's anxious presence at her side, but her attention was solely focused on the pair before her. She fought the instinct to meet Talia's terrified eyes, forcing herself to concentrate on the screaming man. They were going in endless, frantic circles: he was demanding they put down their weapons...she was yelling the same. He was unafraid to die and she was more than willing to kill him, and yet the standoff continued. With the arrival of the police, she knew she only had moments left before the suspect chose his own ending. Her eyes flicked to the blood pulsing from the man's injured leg, to the gun pressed to Talia's temple, her upraised and shaking hands inches away...Ziva just prayed that her sister would be able to do what she asked.

She shouted over the suspect's increasingly frenzied demands, her eyes never leaving his face.

"_Tali pega a su muslo_!"

From the previous slur of incoherent words, Tony was startled when the command registered as a language he knew. He watched recognition dawn on Tali's face, confusion on the suspect's, as she blindly obeyed. One fist swung down and connected with the man's injured thigh, her right hand flinging backwards into the gun as she lunged forward. The shot discharged behind her as she fell to the ground, the suspect howling in pain. Before he could even take aim, Tony and Ziva emptied their clips into his chest, the force knocking him back into the far wall. He slid down it slowly, leaving a trail of crimson against the drab, gray concrete.

Ziva hurled herself over the desk and through the gaping window as Tony shouted an _all clear_ into his earwig and to anyone who could hear below.

"Tali," Ziva cooed, reaching down to where her sister crouched on the broken glass, shaking hands still covering the back of her head.

She looked up, disbelievingly at first, and then threw her arms around Ziva, muttering random words through her sobs. Ziva held her close for a moment before nodding up at Tony. She carefully disentangled herself, helping him to lift the quivering girl and carry her out of the destroyed office to the desk where they had taken cover.

"Are you hurt?" Ziva demanded when Tony set her down, pushing the sweaty hair from Talia's face as her eyes raked her body for signs of injury. She was dirty and bruised, blood now trickling from several cuts on her hands and legs from when she hit the floor.

"They...they hit me in the head with a gun at one point, but I...I think I'm okay," she sobbed as Ziva's fingers wove through her matted hair, seeking out the spot. It was clotted with blood; she may need a few stitches for it and perhaps for a particularly deep looking cut on her knee. She gathered the tattered leg of Talia's pajama pants and held it to the still-bleeding wound but said a quiet thanks that her sister otherwise appeared okay.

Ziva gasped at a sudden, unexpected pressure at her own side, a stab of pain making itself known for the first time. She glanced down to see Tony pressing his jacket to her stomach and back, a grimace twisting his face. "Looks like you pulled every single one of your damn stitches," he growled as the dark fabric grew darker. She had all but forgotten the wound and simply shrugged.

"I'll live."

Tony let out a huff of breath, and leveled an annoyed glare at her. The first of the police arrived then, their eyes falling to the dead suspect on the floor. Tony jerked his head towards the office. "Got another one in there." His eyes traveled up and down the line of men flooding the space, looking for the familiar faces of Gibbs and McGee, but they were nowhere to be seen.

"Boss? We've got Talia and everyone's good. You two okay?" Tony tried, but no sound came through the earwigs. Ziva's head snapped up as she met Tony's equally worried expression. He held out a hand, stopping one of the cops. "Any idea where the rest of our team is?"

The man's face grew serious. "Call went in for an ambulance, an agent was shot. That's all I know," he called out, for Tony was already running towards the stairs, Ziva and Talia hobbling behind.

"McGee? Boss?" Tony yelled, skidding out the front door and looking wildly around. There was a group of people huddled under one of the windows, shielding the ground from view. He pushed his way through and almost cried out in relief when he saw Gibbs crouched down beside Tim, who although pale and green, was conscious and breathing.

"Jesus do you people know how to give a guy a heart attack!" he panted, doubling over to rest his hands on his knees. "They're okay!" he called behind him when he heard Ziva's frantic voice yelling from still inside the building.

"Speak for yourself," Tim muttered from his spot propped against the wall. He winced as Gibbs held a piece of wadded cloth tighter to his bleeding shoulder. "This really fucking hurts."

"Sorry Probie," Tony amended, crouching down on his other side and gently patting his good shoulder. "How bad?" he asked, glancing at Gibbs.

"Pretty clean through and through. He's lucky it missed the bone," Gibbs said quietly. "Suspect out here had Tim pinned, but I had a good angle on him when I came out," he nodded towards another small group of cops huddled around a third body on the ground. Looked like Ducky would have a full house tonight.

"You three are okay?" Gibbs checked, but he received visual confirmation a moment later when Talia and Ziva limped into view.

"McGee!" Ziva exclaimed, but he shook his head.

"M'fine, Ziva. Is Tali okay?"

Talia just nodded, the tears running unabated down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, this is all my fault."

Ziva snaked an arm around her waist. "You didn't ask to get kidnapped."

"But you two have been shot because of me!"

"It's our job, Talia," Gibbs said simply, his observant eyes taking in the bloodied, disheveled women.

"Yeah, besides, wait until Abby hears that Timmy got shot playing hero," Tony grinned. "You're gonna get some serious points for that McRambo."

McGee chuckled and then winced from the pain it brought. The ambulance arrived then, two paramedics hurrying over.

"Just the one GSW?" one of the men asked as they inspected Tim's wound.

"Two," Tony amended, nodding his head towards Ziva.

She scowled at him as the other paramedic came over. "It's an old wound," she asserted stubbornly, her hands gripping at the hem of her shirt as he tried to examine her.

"Yeah, about sixteen hours old. She pulled all her stitches out," Tony countered.

She shot him a look that screamed _traitor_ and turned her attention to Talia. "My sister took a blow to the head. I would appreciate if you checked on that first."

"Never mind me, please help Agent McGee," Talia countered.

"I'm really okay-"

"For Christ's sake, you're all brave and self-sacrificing, noted," Gibbs barked, the confused paramedic jumping slightly. "Now the three of you get your asses in the ambulance!"

* * *

><p>"How is she really?" Talia pressed, wincing slightly as the doctor pulled another stitch through the skin below her knee.<p>

"You David women really are impossible," Tony sighed dramatically. "She's been texting me every ninety seconds with the same questions. Ziva is currently getting fixed up by the same doctor who she saw last night, so other than fighting a bad case of déjà vu and a rather lengthy medical _I told you so_, she is fine." Talia opened her mouth again but Tony spoke first. "McGSW is still in surgery but every indication is that Gibbs was right; the wound was clean and he should make a full recovery. Abby is wearing out the linoleum and last nerves of everyone in the waiting room. There's still time if you want in on our pool on how much longer til the nurses sedate her."

"If it happens in the next ten minutes, I win," the doctor joked and Talia chuckled softly. "You're all set here Miss David. We're just waiting on the results of your scans and then you'll be free to go."

"Thank you," Talia offered, smiling as the doctor left the room. "I truly am fine if you want to go check on Ziva yourself."

"Gibbs is with her," Tony shrugged, "Besides she was rather, um, adamant, that I stay with you."

Talia's shoulders sagged as she picked at a thread on the hospital gown. "I don't know why she cares. After everything she - all of you - have done for me, and I was such a horrible bitch yesterday."

Tony took the doctor's place on the stool beside the bed. "Ziva loves you no matter what you say or do," he offered quietly, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye to see if she'd make the connection.

She did. "It still hurts to know what happened with Ari, and there's a lot for us to talk about. But I had all day to think over things, and I know Ziva would never have killed him unless she had to." Tony just nodded, waiting for her to continue because it looked like there was more on her mind. It took her another minute before she looked up at him. "They...they told me that my father was refusing to negotiate for my release. I thought they were just trying to scare me, but is that...true?"

He sighed. "For what it's worth, I truly think he did everything in his power, Tali. He was trying to stall when he was forcibly removed from the negotiations. If Ziva hadn't intercepted the texts and sent one back in place of Eli, I think it all would have ended very differently."

Talia took a shuddering breath, her bottom lip quivering as she processed that information. Tony automatically wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He was sure part of it was that she reminded him of Ziva in her rare moments of vulnerability, but he felt an odd desire to protect this girl, same as he did for McGee and Abby. Talia leaned into the embrace as he kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry you don't have sisters, Tony," she whispered. "You make a good big brother."

* * *

><p>"Ziver..." It was the closest thing to pleading she had ever heard from Gibbs.<p>

"I just do not understand what I will gain from staying!" she huffed, crossing her arms tightly around her newly bandaged middle.

"Well, mostly because you should still be here from _last_ night. But more importantly, you've been traipsing your gaping wound around a dirty warehouse and probably have an infection by now. It's just one overnight to pump your body full of antibiotics and then you can go home."

"Gibbs-"

"Okay, how about _because I'm ordering you to_. Is that a good enough reason?" Gibbs sighed. She scowled at him and he returned the expression. "Hate me all you want, you're staying."

She frowned and studied him. "I don't like it, but I wouldn't go so far as hating you."

He raised an eyebrow, moving away from the window to sit at the chair beside her bed. "Even after this afternoon?"

She looked confused for a moment, but then rolled her eyes. "That? I was certainly pissed off, but that is what you were aiming for, yes? It was a much needed outlet, thank you."

Gibbs' relief was well masked. He would gladly pay any price to help one of his team - his kids - but it would have killed him just a little bit if Ziva had not understood why he said what he did.

She gave him a reassuring smile, reaching out to squeeze his hand once before her gaze wandered over the dark room. "So now what do we do?"

"You get some rest."

"No, I mean that the case is over. The terrorists are dead. What happens now?"

Gibbs smirked. "Vance informed me that Hamas is waging open war agains the Nula Osams. Our four dead terrorists came from sleeper cells that have been in place for years. To lose so many assets, well, they're none to happy. Feel that Crncevic set them up somehow. I don't think Talia's on anyone's radar screen anymore."

"So she's safe...for now," Ziva sighed. "But what about the next time?"

"No use borrowing trouble," Gibbs said gently. "It'll be up to Talia and Eli to decide if she wants to live with any measure of protection in place moving forward."

"Has anyone told Eli?" Ziva asked suddenly.

He nodded. "Tony called Hadar earlier."

Ziva settled back against the pillows and stared at the ceiling, deep in thought.

Gibbs read her like a book. "You've been given a second chance at a life with your sister in it. It's okay to finally accept that, you know."

"I do not feel worthy of such a gift," she whispered.

Gibbs leaned in closer so she could hear his quiet words. "If not you, then I don't know who is. After all you've been through, you deserve some happiness Ziver."

She mulled over that in comfortable silence for a few long minutes before a knock came at the door.

"Can I come in?" Tony asked softly, poking his head in.

"I'll go see if Ducky needs help containing Abby," Gibbs offered, smirking down at her. "If I hear you're threatening the nurses - again - I'll kick your ass, David."

She grinned, her eyes offering a silent _thanks_ before he left. Tony took Gibbs' vacated chair, propping his feet up on the end of the bed and answered the unasked question in her eyes. "Eli called. Tali's just out in the hall talking to him."

Ziva didn't have the energy to spare pondering that information, so she turned gingerly on her side to stare at him. "She really doesn't even have a concussion?"

Tony smirked. "Nope, a few stitches and she was released with a clean bill of health. You David chicks are apparently pretty hard headed. We all offered her a place to crash tonight, but she wants to stay here with you. Cleaning crew should have your apartment put back together by the time you're released tomorrow."

Ziva shook her head. "It's going to be strange to go home and back to normal after this week."

"A new normal though. And a better one, I'd wager," he sighed, folding his hands behind his head.

"Not just because of Tali," she said quietly and he looked over with a soft smile.

"I know."

"Ziva?" Talia's voice came from the doorway. She frowned slightly. "Am I interrupting?"

Ziva looked over her shoulder, shaking her head. "Of course not sheli, come in."

Talia held her phone in her hands still, chewing on her lip as she limped over to the bed. "Abba would like to talk to you for just a minute, but only if you want to."

Ziva hesitated for a few long seconds before holding out her hand.

Tony stood again. "I should check on McGee and then head home anyways. Me and Gibbs will be back in the morning to pick you two up." He leaned in unexpectedly, brushing a kiss on her cheek that was over before she could even register her surprise. "Glad you're okay."

A grin split Talia's face as she looked between them, but then Tony rolled his eyes and offered her an elbow. "Walk me out Miss David."

Talia limped out on Tony's arm, and Ziva took a deep breath, closing her eyes before pressing the _mute _button and holding the phone to her ear.

"Ziva?" Eli's voice was almost hesitant, and she could tell that he was not expecting her to have taken the call.

"I'm here," she responded simply.

He cleared his throat and sounded more controlled when he spoke again. "Tali said you were shot; I trust you are doing well now?"

"Just a flesh wound, I am fine."

Several seconds silence greeted her, but Ziva had no conversation to fill it, so she simply waited.

"Thank you, for Tali," he finally said in a quiet voice. "I know you certainly did not do it for me, but I am glad she could count on you even when I continue to fail you both."

Ziva opened her mouth to issue a simple, cavalier response but was taken aback when she felt the sting of tears at the corners of her eyes. She wanted to write it off as exhaustion, as some side effect of the drugs coursing through her veins, but the words bubbled up her throat before she could stop them.

"Tell me you would have found a way to save her? That you wouldn't have let anyone sacrifice Tali for the greater good? That you lied to me about her death in the first place only to keep her safe, not to break me down…" The tears suddenly broke free then before she could stop them. She wiped furiously at her cheeks. "Tell me you left me broken and bleeding in the dirt for three months simply because your frantic searchings revealed no leads. Please, Abba, just tell me that _one_ of those things is true."

He remained silent long enough that she reigned in her emotions and then spared him the pain of voicing what she already knew to be true. "Never mind. It is done now."

"I...am sorry," he offered then, so quietly that she wondered if she had heard him wrong. "For many things. Tell me you know that?"

She knew that what Eli included in that simple apology didn't even begin to cover the magnitude and depth of sins he'd committed. But as his question lapped against her weary brain, she was surprised to find that - on some level - she believed his regret to be genuine. "I do."

"Take care of yourself, Ziva. Kiss Tali for me," he added, his voice returning once more to its regular, forceful tone.

"I will," she whispered, and the line went dead.

She was still staring at the phone's screen when Talia returned, carrying a blanket and pillow that she deposited into the reclining chair.

"Okay?" she asked, and Ziva only shrugged. Tali sat beside her on the bed, taking her hand. "The nurses are only allowing me to stay because I promised to be quiet and not keep you awake any longer. So for now, I will just say I am so sorry, and thank you and I love you. We'll flesh out the rest tomorrow, yeah?"

She smiled and nodded as Tali kissed the back of her hand and moved to the chair, settling herself in for the night. Despite the thoughts swirling around in her head, Ziva was grateful when the fog of exhaustion began to carry her off almost immediately.

"Tomorrow," she mumbled, a soft smile playing on her lips as she allowed sleep to claim her.

* * *

><p><strong>That may seem like the end, but there's one more chapter to come. It'll be an epilogue of sorts to tie up some of the remaining loose ends, so if there's any sceneconversation/etc in particular you still want to see, speak now or...wait for the sequel because I don't want to let Talia go yet! ;-)**


	14. Chapter 14

"Holiday traffic. I'm telling ya, if we don't leave now, we'll be late."

Ziva glared up to where Tony paced, making a show of checking his watch. "Are you really trying to give me driving advice?"

He laughed, circling around to lean against Gibbs' desk. "If I were giving advice, we'd start with the basics sweetcheeks. Like speed limits. Or driving on the right side of the road."

"You will never let me live that down will you?"

"Probably not."

She scowled, but he could tell she was repressing a smirk.

"Tick tock, tick tock," he whispered a few seconds later.

She didn't bother glaring at him again but continued to pound away at her keyboard. "Tony, we are three miles from the station and can be there in under five minutes."

"It's one of the busiest travel days of the year. It's gonna be packed."

"Which is why you're driving. You can circle while I find Tali. But first _I need to finish this report!_"

Then she'd be free, for four whole days. She couldn't remember the last time the team had been off for a holiday - a fact that Gibbs forcefully reminded Vance when the Director asked their team to be on call for the long Thanksgiving weekend. And Ziva was grateful; this was the first time Talia would be returning to DC since starting her job at a New York publishing firm last month. Ziva had taken the train up twice already for a quick visit, but she was looking forward to celebrating her first Thanksgiving as an American citizen with her sister and her adopted family.

"Hey, shouldn't you guys have left already?"

Ziva sighed quietly, ignoring the question, but she could almost hear Tony's grin as he turned to look at McGee and Abby.

"Speed racer says we'll be leaving shortly." His brow furrowed as if he suddenly realized something. "Aren't you supposed to be at PT?"

McGee slung his bag over his left shoulder, smiling widely as he swept his other arm around in a large circle. "After six weeks, had my last session on Monday. I am back to normal!"

Ziva knew what was coming a full second before Tony even opened his mouth. "Well, relatively speaking…"

"No jokes DiNozzo!" Abby cut in, pointing a finger warningly at him. "Tim is lucky to be alive!" She snaked her hand into the crook of McGee's elbow, and he shot a smug smile across the bullpen as Tony just rolled his eyes.

"Are you sure I can't bring anything more tomorrow?" Abby fretted, dragging Tim across the bullpen to stand in front of Ziva's desk.

"Abby, you are already bringing three sides dishes and two desserts. That is more than enough, thank you."

"Okay then, I'll be there at noon with bells on!"

That distracted Ziva from her report, and she looked up, confused.

"She doesn't mean that literally," McGee offered, but then quirked an eyebrow at Abby. "Do you?"

She grinned, giving Tony and Ziva a little wave as she pulled McGee towards the elevators. "Well, I do have this one awesome pair of platform boots -"

"You still here?" Gibbs voice carried loudly across the squad room and Ziva groaned.

"I wouldn't be if there weren't so many interruptions!"

Gibbs strode in, reaching around and turning off her computer screen. He ignored her huffed protests, flipping off the desklamp next. "Nothing that can't wait til Monday Ziver. Family first; go pick up your sister."

She sighed in resignation, finally grabbing her bag and giving the older man's arm a quick squeeze as she passed. "You are bringing the rolls. You promise you'll be there?" she asked quietly.

"I said I would," Gibbs said gruffly, but she heard the sincerity underneath and knew he meant it.

Tony nodded to Gibbs and then followed Ziva to the elevator. "You know, I really don't mind just dropping you two off tonight."

She rolled her eyes. "I told you already; we both want you to stay for dinner. I'm not simply using you as a chauffeur."

"Well that's true. In fact, I think your exact words were that you kind of like having me around."

She gave him a little shove when the elevator doors opened and then stepped in beside him. "Perhaps," she shrugged nonchalantly, but her expression was playful. "Besides, Tali is quite anxious to catch up with you, even though I can't imagine why. I think you talk to her more than I do."

Tony put on his best innocent expression. "Moi?"

"Mmmhmmm. I'm still trying to figure out who's the biggest gossip between you, Abby and Tali."

"We're usually talking about you, you know," Tony teased.

"Yes, I'm well aware," Ziva chuckled as they stepped out into the biting wind that howled through the parking garage.

"God next year we're all going to Aruba for Turkey Day. Sun and white sandy beaches," Tony grumbled, rubbing his hands briskly together as he climbed into his car.

Ziva settled into the passenger seat and turned the heaters on full blast. "I don't know. Celebrating Thanksgiving at home. Ducky's marinade and Abby's turkey trot and you and Gibbs arguing about football while Tim pretends he understands the game. And now, sharing it with Talia. Everyone I am grateful for under one roof...that is my ideal Thanksgiving."

Tony glanced over to see a contented smile playing on Ziva's lips. "Yeah," he amended softly as he pulled out of the Navy Yard and into gridlock. "Yeah I guess that sounds pretty perfect to me too."

They crept forward in traffic, riding in comfortable silence for a minute before her fingertips gently tapped the back of his hand that rested on the console between them. "Aruba for New Years?" she added, and Tony met her gaze then with a grin of his own.

"It's a date."

* * *

><p><strong>It was the age old question of where to end the story. I had a long, emotional epilogue in mind, but in the end short and sweet won out. I know it's a little bit vague, but that's deliberate, and I can pretty much promise this universe will continue on at some point...if nothing else in a series of random one-shots starting with Thanksgiving Day and maybe even Aruba... :)<strong>

**To all the loyal readers, thank you for sticking with me through this story! It was a joy to write, and I am so thankful for all of the positive feedback and encouragement along the way. **

**Happy reading! ~ Jules**


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